February is to think
about the following
Reboot the
future
Food and Farming
How do your food choices affect other people and the planet?
Recent
studies have shown that what we choose to eat can have a big impact on the
planet
There a so
many food categories that we tend to indulge in and not ask questions as to
what the consequences are of eating those foods. You are probably thinking,
well it’s just me and my family who have eaten so what’s the big deal? Think
beyond just who is around you, think about the whole planet. There are so many
people who love eating the same as you. Let’s think about it more.
Question:
Where do burgers come from?
Your tasty
burger that you ate yesterday or tonight, tomorrow or in future that your parents
buy from the super market or treat you to Mac Donald’s on occasion originally
come from livestock.
Livestock
have a huge contribution to the issues towards the planet for number of
reasons.
Energy…
Energy from
animals, especially cow need a lot of water and food. To look after animals
means keeping them healthy, warm and well fed and this take ups lots of energy
and resources to do so.
Land…
In 2012 it
was reported that 26% of the earths lands are just used for livestock.
Pollution…
Animals
produce a lot of waste, including methane gas, which has to be dealt with in a
particular way because if not it will damage the environment.
Efficiency...
Out of all
the food groups, meat is the most dominant in being the least efficient of them
all. Fruit and vegetables offer so much more energy and no harmful
repercussions like meat does.
Did you know?
75g of a
beef burger contributes to nearly 8% of greenhouse gases per serving. That 4X
the amount of gases produced by fish.
Question:
What can we do?
Since word
has been spread amount the population, people are starting to become
vegetarians, vegans or even indulging in both. I know it’s really hard to think
it’s just grass food but in recent years the green options have a wide variety
of options that really do taste like the real thing.
At this
rate if you didn’t like the vegetarian or vegan option, there are always
insects you could eat to replace instead.
