By Nona Robinson
More
and more people are justifiably concerned about how our food choices can impact
the environment, and there are many, many aspects to food production and
consumption that have environmental implications. How Trent’s food services evolve can really reflect
our university’s commitment to environmental issues … and it’s important to
know what the challenges are.
How food is produced
Where
does that burger come from? Tracing back the origins of the different foods we
eat, especially processed food, can be a huge challenge.
How the
food is grown and produced in the first place is also environmentally
significant. Agricultural practices have huge environmental impacts, including
greenhouse gas production (not just CO2, but also methane from cow farts). Manufactured
fertilizers are made from petroleum products. Pesticides can have an impact on
biodiversity, as can mono-culture, soil erosion, and conversion of ecologically
sensitive areas such as rainforests to agricultural production.
How
high up we’re eating on the food chain makes a huge difference. Producing meat
requires either significant amounts of pasture or grain (and sometimes other
meat products, unfortunately). Michael
Pollan, who’s the go-to guy for information about food, health and the environment,
says to eat real food, not too much, mostly plants.* If you’re eating for
sustainability, meat should be a treat, and look for meat that’s produced as
part of an ecological farm system (so the manure is gold, not waste). There’s also been great work done on
increasing people’s awareness of sustainable fishing practices.
The
distance traveled to bring food to each of us is an important consideration.
Generally speaking, the more ingredients and the more processed the food
choice, the more kilometers its components have racked up. Single-ingredient
food (e.g. fresh produce) is less travel-intensive than multiple-ingredient
foods. Packaging, too, is something to consider. Is organic spinach grown in California on a huge
farm, picked and refrigerated, and then shipped in a plastic clamshell
container good for the environment? Yes, organic growing practices are so much
better for the environment, but those clamshells suck.
On the
other hand, given that we have winter – and hands up who’s tired of the snow? –
unlike California
we can’t produce fresh produce all year long. Eating seasonally is also a good
choice for the environment, although only having beets, potatoes and turnips at
this time of year could get tired. It’s worth keeping in mind that storing
produce, or using greenhouses to provide fresh leafy greens, also requires
energy.
There
is no choice that is perfect, but some are better than others.
Food services
management
Okay,
let’s say we’ve got a bunch of ingredients that have a lower environmental
impact, now how can the food services operation further contribute to
sustainable practices?
n
Sourcing food that’s sustainably produced
n
Prioritizing in-house cooking over pre-prepared
or processed food
n
Minimizing food waste in terms of leftovers and
spoilage, and composting what does occur
n
Tracking utilities in terms of cooking,
refrigeration, heating/cooling and lighting
n
Reduce packaging and also create incentives to
stop takeout container use
n
Providing information and education around
sustainable food choices.
So why
isn’t everyone doing this? There’s always a balance. Not everyone wants to eat
kale and quinoa every day, or wants to prioritize sustainability over being
able to choose foods they want to eat. Sustainable food is more labour-intensive
to produce and costs more. Similarly, in-house cooking requires more labour.
People want convenience, so they want to be able to put their coffee in a
takeout cup and their salad in a disposable container; having a reusable
container program would again be more labour-intensive. The answer to “why
not?” usually comes down to cost and demand.
It’s
one of the ironies of the past 50 years that processed food has gotten cheaper
and cheaper, so “real” food is more expensive to provide. One piece of the food
review committee’s will be trying to strike the balance between sustainability,
demand, and affordability, and we want to hear from you about how to do it.
__________________
* Michael Pollan’s seven rules for healthy eating:
- Don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as
food.
- Don’t eat anything with more than five ingredients, or ingredients
you can't pronounce.
- Stay out of the middle of the supermarket; shop on the perimeter of
the store.
- Don't eat anything that won't eventually rot.
- It is not just what you eat but how you eat.
- Eat meals at the table and enjoy meals with the people you love.
- Don't buy food where you buy your gasoline.
