No matter where you purchase your food or what you choose to eat, your diet is going to have a significant impact on the environment. From vegetables to meat, and everything in between, there is no avoiding the footprint our food creates as it is grown, harvested, and transported.
Even worse, modern farming and agricultural practices are polluting our air and water, all while encroaching on environmentally-significant habitats. For people striving to reduce their environmental impact, the outlook may look bleak for the modern food system. However, there are still things anyone can do to help reduce their carbon footprint, consume a more sustainable diet, and support better ways to produce and buy food. Keep reading to discover the true impact of your food on the environment and ways you can reduce it.
What Is the Impact of Your Food Choices?
While there is simply no getting around the fact that your food impacts the environment, certain foods create more damage than others. In fact, even the same kinds of food can vary widely. For example, canned beer produces more greenhouse gasses than beer in a keg. [1] Whether you realize it or not, you are having an impact based on your food choices. On average, U.S. households emit around eight metric tons of CO2 every year on their food consumption alone. [2]
What Environmental Problems Arise From Food Production?
There are a variety of issues created by modern-day food production. By the time the food you eat gets to your table, much of the environmental impact has already occurred, including:
Water Use & Water Pollution
Growing food takes a lot of water. About 70% of all water use goes towards agricultural efforts. When runoff of agricultural pollutants occurs, groundwater supplies can get contaminated with things like nitrogen and phosphorus–commonly used in modern farming practices. [3]
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Greenhouse gas (Ghg) emissions, such as CO2, are created when fossil fuels are used during several aspects of the food cycle, including food production and distribution. [4]
Environmental Contaminants & Pollutants
The growing, producing, and transporting of food can create a long list of environmental contaminants that can have adverse effects on the health of humans and the ecosystem. [4] These contaminants include ammonia pollution and the emission of different nitrogen compounds that disrupt the soil as well as animal and plant life. [5]
Depletion of Natural Resources
Food production takes up a significant portion of the world’s natural resources. Livestock is the largest contributor, with one-third of the global arable land being used to grow feed for livestock and another 25% being used for grazing. [6]
Tips to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint When Grocery Shopping
If you are looking to help reduce your carbon footprint when it comes to food, then there are some simple steps you can begin to take today. Below are 10 eco-friendly tips you can try next time you shop at a grocery store.
- Buy Less
- Buy Local
- Buy In-Season Fruits & Vegetables
- Bike or Walk to the Store
- Reduce Your Meat Consumption
- Shop “Green” Brands
- Shop Products With Biodegradable Packaging
- Bring Your Own Bags
- Store Your Food Properly at Home
- Donate Excess Food
Zero Waste Grocery Stores
Almost a quarter of the landfill waste in the United States comes from food packaging. To help combat this growing problem, zero-waste grocery stores are opting out of packaging entirely. Products at these stores are placed in self-service bins. Customers bring their own reusable containers from home to fill up with the food they want. Then customers pay for their food and other products by weight–helping prevent tons of plastic and other single-use containers from sitting in the landfill each year. [7]
Eco-Friendly Grocery Stores
Eco-friendly grocery stores can vary, but in general, they are stores that offer environmental benefits with organic products, an emphasis on products with green packaging, and they don’t sell products that are tested on animals. If you are looking for eco-friendly grocery stores to shop at, first, you may want to consider how they approach the following:
- Do they reuse and recycle?
- Are sustainable products and materials used in their stores?
- Do they take advantage of energy-efficient lighting and energy?
- Is their brand authentic in their efforts?
Plastic-Free Grocery Stores
While a 100% plastic-free grocery store may be difficult to find, stores are making concerted efforts to help reduce their waste. Greenpeace, an environmental organization, recently listed its top grocery stores based on their efforts to reduce their reliance on plastics and tackle the pollution crisis. Their top stores based on this criteria included: [8]
- Aldi
- Kroger
- Albertsons
- Trader Joe’s
- Sprouts
- Walmart
- Hy-Vee
- Target
- Costco
- Wegmans
How To Help Make Change Happen?
When it comes to environmental issues like food, real change starts at the individual level. We invite you to do your part by taking a look at your annual carbon footprint. You can start by using our free online carbon calculator to estimate your own yearly emissions. If it makes sense for you, then you may want to consider purchasing carbon offsets to help balance your everyday activities that contribute to the worlds’ growing CO2 problem. When you buy carbon offsets, like those offered by terapass, you can support farm power initiatives. We proudly support the George DeRuyter and Sons Dairy as we help transform manure from their dairy into an anaerobic digester where the methane is captured and used for energy production.
Brought to you by terrapass.com
SOURCES:
- Poore, J., and T. Nemecek. “Reducing Food’s Environmental Impacts through Producers and Consumers.” Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1 June 2018, science.sciencemag.org/content/360/6392/987.
- “Carbon Footprint Factsheet.” Carbon Footprint Factsheet | Center for Sustainable Systems, css.umich.edu/factsheets/carbon-footprint-factsheet.
- Palaniappa K. “ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF FOOD PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION.” https://www.eolss.net/Sample-Chapters/C07/E5-17-02-03.pdf.
- Nesheim, Malden C. “Environmental Effects of the U.S. Food System.” A Framework for Assessing Effects of the Food System., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 17 June 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK305182/.
- “Air Pollution and Food Production.” UNECE, www.unece.org/environmental-policy/conventions/envlrtapwelcome/cross-sectoral-linkages/air-pollution-and-food-production.html.
- “Meat and Animal Feed.” Weltagrarbericht, www.globalagriculture.org/report-topics/meat-and-animal-feed.html.
- Matchar, Emily. “The Rise of ‘Zero-Waste’ Grocery Stores.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 15 Feb. 2019, www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/rise-zero-waste-grocery-stores-180971495/.
- “The 2019 Supermarket Plastics Ranking.” Greenpeace USA, www.greenpeace.org/usa/shopping-for-plastic-2019/.
I'm an environmental enthusiast with an in-depth understanding of sustainable practices in the food industry and their impact on the environment. My expertise stems from extensive research, academic study, and practical application in the realm of sustainable food systems, environmental conservation, and carbon footprint reduction. I've actively engaged in initiatives focusing on sustainable agriculture, food production, and the promotion of eco-friendly consumer behavior.
In the provided article, the core concepts revolve around the environmental impact of food choices, the problems arising from modern-day food production, and ways to mitigate these impacts through conscious consumer decisions. Let's break down the key concepts addressed:
-
Environmental Impact of Food Choices: The article emphasizes that regardless of food preferences, every individual's diet significantly affects the environment. It mentions that different foods vary in their environmental impact, citing the example of canned beer producing more greenhouse gases than beer in a keg. It notes that the average U.S. household emits approximately eight metric tons of CO2 annually due to food consumption.
-
Environmental Problems Arising From Food Production:
- Water Use & Pollution: Agriculture accounts for 70% of water use, leading to groundwater contamination with pollutants like nitrogen and phosphorus.
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Fossil fuel usage in food production and distribution contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
- Contaminants & Pollutants: The process of growing, producing, and transporting food introduces various contaminants harming human health and ecosystems. These include ammonia pollution and nitrogen compound emissions disrupting soil and biodiversity.
- Depletion of Natural Resources: Food production, especially livestock farming, significantly utilizes global arable land for grazing and feed production.
-
Tips to Reduce Carbon Footprint When Grocery Shopping: The article provides ten eco-friendly tips to minimize the carbon footprint associated with food choices. These tips range from buying local and in-season produce to reducing meat consumption, utilizing reusable bags, and supporting "green" brands.
-
Alternative Grocery Shopping Practices:
- Zero Waste Grocery Stores: These stores eliminate packaging by allowing customers to use their reusable containers for purchasing goods, thereby reducing plastic waste.
- Eco-Friendly Grocery Stores: These stores prioritize organic products, environmentally friendly packaging, and often refrain from selling animal-tested products.
- Plastic-Free Grocery Stores: Efforts by various supermarkets to minimize plastic usage, as recognized by Greenpeace, listing top stores based on their plastic reduction initiatives.
-
Making Change Happen: The article encourages individuals to assess their carbon footprint using online calculators and consider purchasing carbon offsets. It highlights initiatives supporting sustainable practices, like transforming dairy manure into energy through anaerobic digesters.
The sources listed provide further detailed information and scientific evidence supporting the environmental impact of food production and consumption.
These concepts underscore the urgent need for individuals to make informed choices when it comes to their dietary preferences and shopping habits to mitigate the adverse environmental effects caused by modern food systems.
