Sustainability in the food industry is not merely a trend

Food is essential to life. This is a rule as indisputable as the socio-political significance of food. What many, however, do not realize is the magnitude of the impact that food has on the environment. The two are inextricably linked and in recent years this has become increasingly clear. Along with our car exhausts and energy abuse, the food industry comes to dramatically increase the carbon footprint of each of us individually and it is quite simple if we pause to think about it.

The food industry consumes vast amounts of water and energy while at the same time polluting the environment with waste and pesticides used for its prosperity. The landscape is changing because of the meat industry and the requirements it has for its preservation and of course there are the moral obstacles which we will not go into futher analysis of today. Today we will talk about the impact of the food industry on our lives, the environment and our future.

Numerous studies and analyses question the long-term viability of food as it is today. According to a research ran by the European Committee on Rural Development, many of today’s food production systems endanger and threaten the Earth’s ability to produce food immediately and in the foreseeable future. Globally and more specifically, in many parts of Europe, food production exceeds environmental limits or is close to the maximum capacity. So the need for sustainable food sources is greater than ever. But what do we mean by sustainable food sources?

There are many different interpretations of the term but at their core, sustainable foods are those that do not waste the earth’s resources faster than it can replace them. They are cultivation methods that do not require wasting water and alternative sources of protein to decongest the animal chain and the problem it creates for the environment. All the above require change in the practices and policies of food production plants…

It is a chain reaction of change that has begun to take form and, as the trends change while our habits adapt to our new needs and the needs of the earth, we will no longer be talking about sustainability as a trend but as a way of life.