A Sustainable Foodie Philosophy

Food is a mirror, after all.

What Is Food Philosophy?

Food philosophy is our approach to eating. Everyone is a food philosopher. We all attach different values and conditions to our eating habits, defining and limiting our food choices. Vegetarian, non-vegetarian, vegan, paleo…the choices are endless. But deciding what to eat is only one aspect of this multifaceted domain. It involves ethical issues like environmental degradation, sustainability, food wastage and storage, and violation of the human rights of workers involved in the food production process. These issues need to be examined in detail in order to fully understand how food affects us all.

How Grave Is The Situation?

80% of the producers of the world’s supply of food are living in poverty and hunger. This is because only a small share of profit earned through food production reaches the primary sector. Farmers are not rightly compensated for their share of work, and continue to be trapped in the vicious circle of illiteracy and poverty. Their problems are further aggravated by possibilities of crop failure and lack of crop insurance and modernized equipment, etc.

Globally, 820 million people are malnourished, which amounts to 11% of our total population. Contrary to common belief, it is not because global food production is less, and demand exceeds supply. It is because a huge chunk of food produced is wasted because of inadequate techniques, backward technology, and human ignorance.

It is estimated that if all this wasted food (which is roughly ⅓ of the total food produced) is properly utilized, it can feed the whole undernourished population on earth. In economic terms, this will avert a loss of 940 billion dollars caused by food loss and wastage.

In addition, 600 million people around the world fall ill after eating contaminated food and almost 420,000 people lose their lives. Excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in crops and consumption of unhealthy meat which causes cardiovascular diseases and cancer must be discouraged. Therefore, a shift from conventional farming to organic farming, and from red proteins (meat) to blue proteins (fish) is necessary.

The Correlation Between Agriculture And Environmental Degradation

Agriculture is a major contributor to the degradation of the environment. It is responsible for 80% of global deforestation and for releasing 29% of global greenhouse gases. 70% of freshwater use is related to agriculture. 80% of the total loss in biodiversity is caused by it. These staggering figures show us that agriculture takes a huge toll on the environment and takes up a great portion of finite natural resources.

Even after wrecking so much havoc on the planet, the agricultural yield remains inefficient. According to the U.N., 9–10 billion people will be inhabiting the earth by 2050. Securing nutritious food for such a large population is a challenge that cannot be met by simply upscaling the current agricultural practices. A major transformation of the existing food system into a more sustainable and productive food system is needed.

Need For ‘Transformation’

But what is ‘transformation’? Does it simply mean ‘change’? Transformation is not a gradual improvement of an existing system. It is not a revolution that completely upturns an old practice. Transformation is the result of a countless number of small changes, taking place in different parts of the system, by different actors, at the same time.

Here’s how we can make a change -

1. By boosting the small scale producers by buying locally produced food. Locally produced food is also fresh and hence tastier (it’s a win-win).
2. By transforming the big producers by choosing healthier alternatives (eating smarter). Also, consumer awareness is very important when it comes to purchasing packaged food. Aim for products with the least preservatives and harmful chemical additives.
3. By losing less food through wastage. Buy only what you can consume. This is perhaps the most important yet uncommon habit.
4. Realizing that food is a mirror. You have a choice between wholesome and healthy food, and nutrient deficit junk food. (You are what you eat, after all!).

It’s in your hands…and plates

What you choose to eat determines your health, as well as the health of the planet, because processed junk food causes even more pollution during the production process as well as in the form of plastic packaging, as compared to unprocessed foods (fruits and vegetables) which are directly consumed.

This shows that while new sustainable technology is required, it does not solve the whole problem. Government intervention, improved finance and most importantly — behavioral change of both the consumers and the producer are extremely important to win this war against chronic malnutrition and environmental degradation.