“Diets with low environmental impacts which contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations.”
This is the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation’s definition of what a sustainable diet is. The food we buy and eat every day has impacts across many different aspects. Watch the following video about the limitations of our food system and the different aspects of our lives and the Earth that it impacts:
One thing from this video that stood out to me the most was the third limitation of our food system. One-third of food being wasted is an insane amount, this amounts to about 1.3 billion tonnes of food every year being either thrown away or lost. This statistic baffles my mind because of the fact that there are so many countries who have issues with malnutrition. The amount of food being wasted every year could potentially reduce malnutrition in developing countries and solve one of the world’s biggest problems. I came across the following statistic on the FAO website:
“Even if just one-fourth of the food currently lost or wasted globally could be saved, it would be enough to feed 870 million hungry people in the world.”
This amount would be enough to feed the 795 million people in the world who are suffering from chronic undernourishment. If we as a society starting making adjustments in the way we buy our food and the way we eat it, we can start making an impact now. This impact can be on ourselves to reduce health risks as well as on the planet by preserving the supplies we have and creating a sustainable future for many generations to come. You don’t necessarily have to become vegan or vegetarian to make an impact, just small adjustments to your current diet can make a difference:
In addition, ensuring you are creating as little food waste as possible by following these tips will help contribute to a more sustainable future for yourself and the planet.
I challenge each of you reading this to make a shift in your diet and food purchasing, I know I am going to after writing this!
It was absolutely shocking to me how much food waste is produced in North America alone. You’re completely right about the portion sizes, distribution of nutrition and holistic food system being all so off here. I’ve moved from India to the UAE and then to Canada. You can distinctly see the differences in food systems and the perceived value of food when you move from developing nations to developed ones. I have also noticed my own food habits changing after moving here and living alone. I eat way more meat, more out of convenience and price
considerations than anything. I struggle with guilt quite frequently. The food I ate at home which my parents made had a distinct variety, we would absolutely never throw out food and portions were micromanaged by my mom. I think growing up in India is what helped her cultivate these habits. We can only really hope that people will realize a shift in diet leads to a healthier as well as a happier life for everyone (around the world).