Food System Sustainability: Issues related to health, the environment, & food resources

1. Food System Sustainability: Issues related to health, the environment, & food resources Jennifer Turley Associate Professor of Nutrition, WSU

2. Overview of today’s talk

3. Food System

4. ~ 1/3 GHG tied to the food supply (Eshel, 2006) The Detriments A sustainable food system promotes ecological, human, and community health now and for the future.

5. Detrimental to Water, Energy, Land • Water: plant and animal farming accounts for 70% of all water use by humanity; 90% in most developing countries. US food system uses ~80% of US fresh water. • Soil: US food system uses ~50% of US land area. Croplands, pastures, and rangelands are losing soil (overgrazing, tilling) at an unsustainable rate. It takes ~500 y to replace 1” soil. • Energy: Fossil energy for fertilizers, machinery, irrigation, pesticides, transportation, etc. • 1 Calorie of plant protein requires ~2 Calories of fossil energy. • Most adults require 2000-3000 calories/day depending on their age, gender, and physical activity. • Raising livestock for meat requires more energy (Calories, grain feed) than animal byproducts (milk & eggs), and plants. • Meat-based diet requires more energy, land, and water resources than the lactoovo or vegetarian diet. (Somlyódy 2006, Pimentel 2003, Horirgan 2002)

6. Calorie CountingFossil fuel density, calorie density & nutrient density of food • Animals: 20-80 fossil fuel calories/1 food calorie • Plants: 2 fossil fuel calories/1 food calorie • Plant proteins have ~ 1/10th the fossil fuel use and 1/10th carbon emission than animal proteins. • Switching from meat to vegetables 1 day/week saves the equivalent of driving 1160 miles per year • Livestock production, especially beef, created almost 20% of total greenhouse gases worldwide, eclipsing even transportation. • Livestock are one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems. Plants vsanimals Livestock Lamentations Low calorie can still have a high environmental impact Examples: water, reduced calorie foods, artificial chemical additives, processed, packaged

7. Sustainable Food System Grow it, buy it, cook it local & organic Crop & grazing rotation, cover crops, no/low-till, managing soil, nutrients, biodiversity, & pest. Limit eating out, animal, processed & fast food

8. Healthy & Sustainable Me © 2009 Jennifer Turley, Joan Thompson, Garth Tuck

9. Beverages • Bottled water is a big problem (petroleum based production, packaging, transport, storage) • Drink tap water, use a filter if you like • Avoid other bottled beverages • Buy concentrated juices you can reconstitute • Consider teas and/or coffees made at home • Chose local and organic milk or even better fortified milk alternatives like soy, rice, or almond milk • If you drink wine, purchase boxed wine produced regionally (such as from California or Oregon for Utah residence) • Remember refrigeration and freezing costs energy in processing, transport, and store and personal storage.

10. The Organic Plant Move away from high-carbon, high-calorie, low-nutrition, industrial food

11. Pesticides • Substance that prevent, destroy, repel, or mitigate a pest • Insects, animals, weeds, micororganisms can be pests • Chemicals pesticides: synthetic, organic compounds • Biopesticides: microbes, biochemicals (such as pheromones), plant incorporated protectant • Toxins inserted at the cellular level (Bt corn) by GE • Pesticide treatment tolerance (round-up ready soybeans, corn, alfalfa, canola) by GE • Often reach destination other than that intended • Pollute air, water, & soil. • Resist degradation and remain in the environment for years • Hinders nitrogen fixation needed for plant growth & soil quality • Potentially poisons animals, birds, fish, ….humans • Vicious cycle of spraying to kill pests, pests grow resistant, need to spray more Epa.gov

12. Pesticides • Inhalation • Ingestion • Skin (dermal) penetration • Transplacental absorption • Breast milk • A pesticide which is sprayed can be inhaled during use or by drift; penetrate through the skin during mixing and application; and be ingested through water & food (which can be minimized by rinsing plant foods and removing fat from animal foods) Modes of entry Example

13. HUMAN HEALTH ISSUES RELATED TO PESTICIDES • Neurological Effects: potent neurotoxins. • Short term: dizzy, lightheaded, confused, and reduced coordination and ability to think. • Long-term: reduced IQ, learning disability, brain damage. • Asthma, upper and lower respiratory effects • Infections • Hypersensitivity diseases • Birth defects • Endocrine disruption: Precocious puberty in girls, Reduced sperm counts • Cancer • Children are more susceptible

14. SHOPPER’S GUIDE TO PESTICIDES • Onion • Avocado • Sweet Corn • Pineapple • Mango • Asparagus • Sweet Peas • Kiwi • Cabbage • Eggplant • Papaya • Watermelon • Broccoli • Tomato • Sweet Potato • Peach • Apple • Bell Pepper • Celery • Nectarine • Strawberries • Cherries • Kale • Lettuce • Grapes (Imported) • Carrot • Pear Dirty Dozen Clean 15 www.foodnews.org

15. GMO Concerns Antisense transgenic RNAi Why are plants GM? For insect & viral resistance, herbicide tolerance, delayed ripening, plant sterility, and modified oils. What type of plants are GM? Corn, tomatoes, potatoes, soybean, rice, squash, papaya, flax, cantaloupe, and others.

16. The Organic Animal • Organic beef, pork, poultry, eggs, and dairy foods may be healthier because: • Less pesticide exposure, fed organic feed. • Less antibiotics and hormones • More nutritional value • USDA certified organic animals are traced from birth to slaughter. (which other countries do for all their meats, like the European Union). What’s not in organic foods is what makes it better for you! You are what you eat. Animals are what they eat too (K. Geagan)

17. The Organic Animal

18. Confined/Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations factory farming: Pro • Able to meet the American meat appetit. • 217 lbs/person/year (India 11)

19. factory farming: Cons • Cheap & abundant meat increases demand & production • Increased meat consumption can be linked to increase risk of CVD, diabetes and some cancers • Factory farms are noisy and smelly thus far from communities so more fuel used for transport • Livestock are put in high density unnatural environments causing: • Greenhouse gas emissions (feces and passing gas, food miles) • Water pollution • Disease • Ethical issues • Livestock production produces 18% of CO2 equivalents (transportation 15%) • High density housing for livestock can lead to substandard conditions (confinements, disease, de-beaking chickens, removing tails from pigs, etc) • Leads to high density processing facilities with poor conditions for both animals and workers

20. factory farming: Cons • 800 million people suffer from hunger and malnutrition but most of the corn and soy grown goes to livestock • Livestock used to be integrated into carbon and nitrogen cycles of small farms • Increasing rangeland is a major reason for deforestation • Unnatural feeding practices like fattening cattle on grain has led to development of more pathogenic bacteria • In order to minimize disease and increase production many animals in factory farms are given antibiotics • More than half of the worlds supply of antibiotics are used on animals • Could lead to antibiotic resistance • Iowa hog factories alone produce 50 million tons of excrement • Put into lagoons not waste treatment facilities • Contaminate waterways with excrement, antibiotics and hormones

21. Meat Issues

22. Organic Meat Farming

23. sustainable Animal choices • Beef and dairy is unsustainable. • Lamb is also not energy efficient but is eaten less than beef by most Americans. • Avoid highly processed meat (lunch meat, hot dogs, sausage, bacon, nugget, frozen dinners etc) • Poultry and eggs are sustainable options • Reduce meat consumption and chose organic, local and free-range (grass-fed) animal meat (like beef, bison, pork, lamb) and legally hunted game (like elk, deer, pheasant, rabbit, duck, partridge, moose) when you eat it. It takes millions or years to create biomass that becomes crude oil that then becomes gasoline that is used to create a snack that takes less than 2 minutes to eat …does that seem sustainable? Eating represents an immediate opportunity to make a difference. (Kate Geagan)

24. Fish Farming There are many aquaculture methods & species, some are sustainable Source: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_gear.aspx

25. Fish Farming 1 2 3 4 5 • Cages/pens:waste, diseases and parasites can freely spread to wild habitat.Farmed fish can escape and compete with wild fish for natural resources, interbreed with wild fish. • Raceways: same concerns as cages/pens. • Ponds: candestroy coastal habitat to build facility. Discharged untreated wastewater pollutes the environment and contaminates groundwater. • Recirculating systems: fish cannot escape, wastewater is treated, but are costly to operate and rely on electricity or other power sources. • Shellfish culture: when farmed in high densities with little current/tidal flow leads to the accumulation of waste and the possibility of out-competing native species for natural resources. Source: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_gear.aspx

26. Fish Facts • Avoid farmed carnivore fish • It takes 15-25 lbs wild fish to produce 1 lb farmed tuna. • It takes 2-10 lbs of wild fish feed to produce 1 lb farmed salmon. • Plus large water need • US raised, plant eating fish are lean and green superfoods and much more sustainable than air flown salmon or tuna. • Include herring, sardines, US farmed catfish, barramundi, tilapia, shrimp, clams, oysters, and mussels. • Principles: small fish, live in large numbers close to shore, are herbivores. • Organic is meaningless in regards to fish & seafood. • Most fresh waters are contaminated with PCBs and methyl mercury.

27. Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Pocket Guide Source: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/download.aspx

28. http://www.blueocean.org/seafood/seafood-guide

29. How to make a difference • Eat foods that are: • Local • In season • Organic • Eat mostly plant foods (eat low on the food chain); minimally meat free Mondays. • If all Americans had a MFD it would be like taking 8 million cars off the road • Choose local, sustainable and organic animal meat and milk • Choose sustainable wild and farmed fish, ocean friendly foods

30. Practical Tips • Eat less red meat, limit animal meat to 3 ounces a day • Omit bottled water. Drink from the tap, with or without a filter. Minimize other bottled processed beverages. • Select 1 ingredient foods for meals and snacks most often • Minimize shopping trips to different stores • Bring your own reuse bags • Shop the bulk bins • Limit packaged foods. If packaged, 5 or less ingredients and not mini/snack pacs. Look for country of origin labeling (COOL) or the source of the food (even produce), chose foods produced the closest to you • Become a Locavore, cut truck, train, and air travel of food • Compost your food waste • Join a CSA • Use your kitchen more and eat out much less • Pack your own lunch • Use energy efficient appliances, especially your refrigerator, in your kitchen • Grow some of your own food at home, with a neighbor, or community garden • Have a real relationship with real food

31. Why Eat local & Organic • Freshness & Taste: Food may be <24 hours old and picked at the optimal time to harvest (not before it ripens). • Nutrition: decline in nutrients as time passes after harvest. Some organic foods have a better nutritional profile than conventional. • Purity: Organic foods are produced without pesticides, or fertilizers, antibiotics, hormones, GMO, or irradiation exposure. • Community Vitality: Spend your money within your community. Keep the food supply closer to your hands. Promote regional food self reliance and local jobs. • Teach Others: Set an example for others to follow. Teach children the true source and meaning of food. • Variety: Local organic farmers grow a diversity of flavorful and locally adapted foods (no mono-cultures). • Resource Conservation: Buying locally grown foods decreases dependence on petroleum (transportation and petroleum based chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides), preserves soil, and promotes biodiversity. • Cost: Conventional food production has hidden detrimental environmental, health, and social consequences. Organic food may have a higher price-tag.

32. A healthy diet needs healthy agriculture which needs a healthy ecosystem. • Eat real food (not edible food like substances), not too much, mostly plants. • Don’t eat anything your grandma wouldn’t recognize as food. • Eat at mealtime, not 24/7. • Don’t buy food where you buy fuel. • (M. Pollen) Reflections • Where did my food come from? • Is it real food, traditional, imitation/invented, genetically engineered??? • What impact does my eating style have on others? the planet? • Organic or conventional? • Plant or animal? • Local or regional, national, or international? • Bulk or processed or packaged? • Necessary or splurge? • Farmed or Wild fish? • Sustainable or unsustainable? Questions to ask yourself in general Questions to ask when food making purchases

33. Friendly Resources • Deborah Koons Garcia, The future of food DVD, 2005. http://www.thefutureoffood.com/ • Montery Bay Aquarium: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_gear.aspx • Food Routes: http://www.foodroutes.org/ • Blue Ocean: http://www.blueocean.org/home • University of Michigan center for sustainability: http://css.snre.umich.edu/www.blueocean.org/home • Wasatch Gardens: http://www.wasatchgardens.org/ • Local Harvest CSA: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/ • Books by Michael Pollen • Kate Geagan, Go Green Be Lean, http://www.kategeagan.com/ and www.leanandgreendiet.com • Utah farmer’s Market: http://www.utahsown.utah.gov/ • Slow Food Utah: http://www.slowfoodutah.org/ • Bell Organic Gardens in Draper www.bellorganic.com • Zoe's Garden in Layton Utah: www.zoegarden.com

34. Friendly Resources • Farmers Markets in Utah: http://www.utahsown.utah.gov/FarmersMarkets.htm • National Geographic Green Guide: http://www.thegreenguide.com/ • University of Michigan center for sustainability: http://css.snre.umich.edu/ • Center for Science in the Public Interest: http://cspinet.org/EatingGreen/calculator.html • Green restaurant association: http://dinegreen.com/restaurant_guide.asp • F&V worth buying organic, download wallet card at: www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php • Source locally: www.eatwild.com • Real Milk: www.realmilk.com • Field to Plate: www.fieldtoplate.com • Harvest Eating: www.harvesteating.com • Wild Idea buffalo company, South Dakota: www.wildideabuffalo.com