The food that we have on our tables often goes through various processes and travels many miles before we get down to eating it. According to scientists, 90% of all food production takes place on 10% of the Earth’s land area.

So, despite food seeming like part of a smaller picture - of what we’re going to have for dinner or what snack we fancy - it is part of a much larger picture, generating CO2 emissions, water consumption, pollution, and habitat destruction.

How can we break the bigger picture down? And what can we do to minimise the consequences of food production?

Global Food Production

The Committee for Climate Change (CCC) identified the effect of climate change on the global food system as one of six immediate priority areas for the UK. Our food supply is at risk from the global effects of climate change, including drought, wildfires, flooding, pests and diseases. Around 35% of food in the UK is imported, so we are not immune to the global effect of climate change. The risks from climate change not only affect the food available to us but also how much our food costs.

As the world’s population has expanded, the challenge of feeding the world sustainably increases. The global markets have changed the food we eat and where it comes from. However, agriculture and food production in other countries is having a devastating effect on global emissions.

Supply, demand and the Problems

Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest is affecting the whole world. Vast swathes of forest are cut down to convert the land into beef and soy farms. The soy is mainly used as animal feed, while the beef is shipped around the world. The effects are particularly damaging to the climate and the environment in many ways. The natural carbon sink of the rainforest is disturbed and begins to release carbon instead of storing it. The trees destroyed by fires no longer absorb carbon from the air. Cattle produce huge amounts of methane, adding to greenhouse gases and global heating. Meanwhile, the land is used to grow agricultural animal feed, instead of directly feeding people, which is an inefficient use of land resources.

Plant-based & Sustainable Diets

There are ways we can directly manage the impact of our diet - but what would happen if we all did this on a global scale?

Source: Environmental Impacts of Food Production - Our World in Data

Click to enlarge!

As the chart above shows, certain foods are much worse in terms of carbon emissions than others, for example, red meat, chocolate, dairy, coffee, and prawns compared to fruit, vegetables, nuts and cereal grains.

Therefore, the food we choose can make a difference in carbon emissions. Plant-based diets focus on food derived from plant-based sources and minimise or eliminate meat, fish and dairy. Plant-based diets include vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian (fish) and flexitarian diets (mainly vegetarian with small amounts of meat and fish).

A sustainable diet has a more broad-based approach to the food we eat. These include natural resources, improved animal welfare and agricultural practises, support of local economies and recognising the social benefit of a healthy diet. A sustainable diet also encourages eating more plant-based foods while reducing meat and dairy consumption.

Reducing food waste & environmental impact

Unfortunately, food waste is a large and unnecessary contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The United Nations estimates that food waste contributes 8-10% of global greenhouse gases. Each part of the process from farming, processing, storing, selling, delivery, and cooking generates carbon emissions. Food waste also means we’re using resources at levels which are not sustainable.

The UK Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan aims to tackle food waste in line with the United Nations’ plan of reducing food waste by 50% by 2030. This includes working with agriculture, manufacturers, suppliers, restaurant and food services as well as home consumers.

Research by WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Plan) estimates that in 2018, 6.6 million tonnes of food were thrown away. Of this, 70% of the food we could have eaten. This is equivalent to 2.4 million cars in terms of CO2 emitted. In the UK, each household wastes nearly £60 per month on edible food.

The Top 10 most wasted food and drink items in UK homes (that could have been eaten):