By Hannah Nelson, BVS Associate at the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy
Food and harvest are an ever present motif this time of year. From celebrating seasonal produce like apples and pumpkins to the symbol of the cornucopia, we are reminded of the food we grow and eat. This makes it a good time to consider food as part of creation care, and learn how to make our food systems more sustainable.
Making food systems sustainable involves looking through both a human and an environmental lens. The ideal food system uses available resources in a mindful way that meets nutrition needs for everyone and minimizes harm to the environment. While many of us have an abundance of available food, food production uses natural resources and our current food systems create pollution. According to research from the UN, food systems, which include everything from agriculture to food packaging to transportation to the table, “account for a third of greenhouse gas emissions and 70 per cent of the usage of the world’s freshwater”.
Because so many natural resources go into food production, one of the most important ways we can reduce the environmental impact of our food systems is to more mindfully produce and consume food to only make what we need and to waste as little as possible. The US Environmental Protection Agency defines wasted food as, “food that was not used for its intended purpose” including “unsold food from retail stores; plate waste, uneaten prepared food, or kitchen trimmings from restaurants, cafeterias, and households; or by-products from food and beverage processing facilities.” Food loss refers to “unused product from the agricultural sector, such as unharvested crops.”
When food is wasted, so are the natural resources such as water, land, and energy that went into its production. In addition, food waste itself produces greenhouse gas pollution. Discarded food is often sent to landfills, where it releases methane gas (a greenhouse gas) when it decomposes (see https://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/lettuce-not-waste-new-epa-research-highlights-food-waste-contributions-climate )
At the individual level, you can reduce food waste by buying only what you need and using what you have. Consider planning meals for the week so you can use ingredients for multiple meals to reduce the amount that spoils before you use it. There has been a recent social media phenomenon of people participating in “project pantry,” where they take stock of what ingredients they already have and choose ingredients they have had for a while to empty before they buy any new food. This can reduce the amount of new food you buy, reducing unnecessary use of natural resources, and can also save money.
For inspiration on how to use up different ingredients, look for zero or low waste online forums you can join, like this “no scrap left behind” reddit thread or blogs that talk about reducing waste. If you have too much food to use up before it spoils, consider options like freezing it to preserve it or sharing it with friends or neighbors. If food cannot be used up, methods like composting or applying food scraps to the land are better for the environment than sending food scraps to landfills, though the most impactful solution is to reduce food waste in the first place.
There may be programs in your community to help you reduce food waste. For example, the app “Too Good to Go” allows you to purchase discounted food at the end of the day from grocery stores or restaurants that would otherwise be thrown away. Your grocery store may sell damaged or “ugly” but otherwise fine produce and canned goods for a discount, that otherwise might not be purchased and would potentially be thrown away. Consider volunteering at a food bank that picks up surplus food from grocery stores to participate in programs that reduce food waste and ensure community needs are met.
Another interesting solution to food loss is gleaning, which can help reduce food waste at the agricultural level. Gleaning is the process of saving surplus produce from farm fields, markets, stores, or restaurants, and donating it to food pantries or other programs that share it with those who need it. This practice gets to the heart of sustainability — reducing waste while ensuring as much food as possible is available to feed people. If you live in an area with a lot of agriculture, there may already be a gleaning program you can volunteer with. If you would like to start one in your community, this gleaning guide from the Department of Agriculture breaks down the important steps. Even while large amounts of food are wasted each year, people go hungry or are not able to fulfill all their nutritional needs, so methods of reducing food waste that share available food with those who need it should be prioritized.
What we eat is another key part of sustainability. Animal food products, especially red meat, create more greenhouse gas emissions than plant based foods (see https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/food ). Even if you don’t want to commit to a completely vegan diet, consistently reducing your meat and dairy by even a small amount can help reduce your carbon footprint.
You can also reduce the pollution from your food consumption by limiting plastic packaging, other single use packaging, buying things in reusable containers, and limiting take out or to-go packaging. If you are able to, bring your own containers or reusable grocery bags from home when you shop for food.
You can also make an effort to eat seasonably and locally. The transportation of food by plane, boat, or truck creates carbon emissions, contributing to climate change. When we eat food that is out of season in our region, that usually means it is coming from a different hemisphere and/or traveling a far distance. Plus, eating seasonal foods will taste better! Find foods that are seasonal in your region with this guide. You may find local produce at farmer’s markets, local farm stands, in your local supermarket chain (if you read items carefully), or you may consider creating a home or church garden or using a community garden. Activities like gardening and enjoying seasonal foods at their ripest can also be meditative and connect us more to creation.
From this list of options, choose what works for you. You don’t have to become perfectly zero waste to start making a difference, but making small choices to reduce our ecological footprint add up collectively and over time. Don’t think that because you may not have an organic market near you that you can’t be sustainable. A lot of people may have complicated feelings around food or guilt around wasted food, so remember that it’s not about being perfect but about taking manageable steps to reduce our environmental impact. From these suggestions, pick a couple of options to try and keep looking for new ways to implement sustainable practices.
In addition, advocating for broader systemic change is important. This can include advocating for sustainable agricultural policy or boycotting companies that are known for unsustainable practices. Food is something we think about every day, and an opportunity to reflect upon and change how we use the earth’s resources to meet our needs. Creation provides us with the resources to feed everyone without depleting our environment, but we have to be mindful of how we produce, consume, and distribute food.