The UN claims that Food production must double by 2050 to meet the demand of the worlds growing population. However, most of the worlds productive farmland is already in use, so increased food production will require extending intensive farming methods with greater use of pesticides and fertilizers leading to the increased release of greenhouse gases. Paradoxically, UK government policy is attempting to deal with both of these problems simultaneously with plans to "boost food production in Britain and reduce its impact on the environment". Is this realistic, or is there an easier way?
Calculations based on waste and calorie intake suggest that the UK has access to at least double the food necessary for adequate nutrition. Since farming, retail and eating habits are probably similar throughout the developed world, this implies there is no real food crisis in terms of the amount produced, only in how it is consumed. Therefore, a better strategy must be to focus on reducing food waste rather than growing more. This would minimise the impact on the environment, reduce food expenditure, and achieve better food security with a healthier lifestyle for the population.
Retailers should be obliged to stock a proportion of food, that would be presently rejected due to appearance, but otherwise meets safety standards. This could be marketed as cheap 'sustainable' produce in addition to, or possibly in preference to expensive organic foods which are of dubious health and environmental benefits.Hotels, Restaurants and other communal places of eating could purchase this sustainable produce to meet their environmental targets. The food could can be re-cut for aesthetic value or simply merged with other foods in pies & stews etc.Retailers should be obliged to sell all stocked food by a 'use by' date or pay a tax that should be set high enough to discourage waste. One method of achieving this would be to introduce a variable pricing mechanism based on the demand throughout the sale period which is gradually reduced to near zero by the use by date.
Damaged packets should be re-labelled as low carbon pet food or animal feed if this doesn't endanger safety, or if this is not possible, biodegraded using composting and anaerobic digestion to produce methane for fuel and enrich agricultural soil.To avoid consumer waste, all foods should be purchasable in smaller amounts at a constant unit price and separated into compact sealable units to ensure they are kept fresh as long as possible. This would avoid excess buying which often leads to waste.Retail policies that lead to excess buying should be discouraged. These include moving items around the store and placing essentials at the rear of store to encourage coverage and residence time. Retail promotion and prominent positioning that encourages purchasing should also be reserved for sustainable products.
Finally, including children it is estimated that we eat on average about 2320 Kcal/day/person in the UK. This, could be an underestimate, yet is still 10% more calories than is necessary for an average persons recommended intake based on the UK age distribution and gender and reference nutrient intake tables. In addition to placing extra strain on the food supply chain, this can lead to a variety of health problems for individuals who eat far more than their required intake.In total, according to these calculations only about 45% of the food actually farmed is actually necessary for adequate nutrition, and most of the remaining 55% of waste is preventable, amounting to the equivalent of 72 million tonnes of greenhouse gases per year in the UK. This is approximately 10% of the total UK output and almost as much as its entire transport system.There have been previous initiatives to reduce food waste. The official UK government line is that "most of the major supermarket retailers in the UK....have committed to work with the Government's waste-reduction program (WRAP) to identify ways they can help us, their customers, to reduce the amount of food thrown away".
Health advice needs to consider promoting more durable foods in preference to perishable fruit and vegetables if these offer a more practical, equally nutritious and 'low carbon' alternative.Temperature sensitive strips could be placed on selected packages that warn the consumer if the fridge thermostat has been set too low.Set tough annual targets for reduced waste throughout the food industry.These measures should increase the worlds food supply by reducing food waste rather than increasing production with a corresponding benefit for the environment.To grow an abundance of tasty fruits and vegetables, use natural fertilizers to increase nutritional value, and enhance taste.Canning foods requires several basic steps like,Choosing the right jars and lids to ensure freshness over time,Boiling and sanitizing these materials adequately to ensure bacteria does not grow,Using only fresh and washed foods,Preparing the foods properly.Each food requires a different method of preparation. Conducting the right research before hand is essential. There are several resources that describe the best and most effective canning processing methods to help you store and preserve foods in case of a food shortage.The global food shortage and rise of food prices will eventually affect every consumer. The time is now to take action to prevent the food crisis from affecting you and your family.
Calculations based on waste and calorie intake suggest that the UK has access to at least double the food necessary for adequate nutrition. Since farming, retail and eating habits are probably similar throughout the developed world, this implies there is no real food crisis in terms of the amount produced, only in how it is consumed. Therefore, a better strategy must be to focus on reducing food waste rather than growing more. This would minimise the impact on the environment, reduce food expenditure, and achieve better food security with a healthier lifestyle for the population.
Retailers should be obliged to stock a proportion of food, that would be presently rejected due to appearance, but otherwise meets safety standards. This could be marketed as cheap 'sustainable' produce in addition to, or possibly in preference to expensive organic foods which are of dubious health and environmental benefits.Hotels, Restaurants and other communal places of eating could purchase this sustainable produce to meet their environmental targets. The food could can be re-cut for aesthetic value or simply merged with other foods in pies & stews etc.Retailers should be obliged to sell all stocked food by a 'use by' date or pay a tax that should be set high enough to discourage waste. One method of achieving this would be to introduce a variable pricing mechanism based on the demand throughout the sale period which is gradually reduced to near zero by the use by date.
Damaged packets should be re-labelled as low carbon pet food or animal feed if this doesn't endanger safety, or if this is not possible, biodegraded using composting and anaerobic digestion to produce methane for fuel and enrich agricultural soil.To avoid consumer waste, all foods should be purchasable in smaller amounts at a constant unit price and separated into compact sealable units to ensure they are kept fresh as long as possible. This would avoid excess buying which often leads to waste.Retail policies that lead to excess buying should be discouraged. These include moving items around the store and placing essentials at the rear of store to encourage coverage and residence time. Retail promotion and prominent positioning that encourages purchasing should also be reserved for sustainable products.
Finally, including children it is estimated that we eat on average about 2320 Kcal/day/person in the UK. This, could be an underestimate, yet is still 10% more calories than is necessary for an average persons recommended intake based on the UK age distribution and gender and reference nutrient intake tables. In addition to placing extra strain on the food supply chain, this can lead to a variety of health problems for individuals who eat far more than their required intake.In total, according to these calculations only about 45% of the food actually farmed is actually necessary for adequate nutrition, and most of the remaining 55% of waste is preventable, amounting to the equivalent of 72 million tonnes of greenhouse gases per year in the UK. This is approximately 10% of the total UK output and almost as much as its entire transport system.There have been previous initiatives to reduce food waste. The official UK government line is that "most of the major supermarket retailers in the UK....have committed to work with the Government's waste-reduction program (WRAP) to identify ways they can help us, their customers, to reduce the amount of food thrown away".
Health advice needs to consider promoting more durable foods in preference to perishable fruit and vegetables if these offer a more practical, equally nutritious and 'low carbon' alternative.Temperature sensitive strips could be placed on selected packages that warn the consumer if the fridge thermostat has been set too low.Set tough annual targets for reduced waste throughout the food industry.These measures should increase the worlds food supply by reducing food waste rather than increasing production with a corresponding benefit for the environment.To grow an abundance of tasty fruits and vegetables, use natural fertilizers to increase nutritional value, and enhance taste.Canning foods requires several basic steps like,Choosing the right jars and lids to ensure freshness over time,Boiling and sanitizing these materials adequately to ensure bacteria does not grow,Using only fresh and washed foods,Preparing the foods properly.Each food requires a different method of preparation. Conducting the right research before hand is essential. There are several resources that describe the best and most effective canning processing methods to help you store and preserve foods in case of a food shortage.The global food shortage and rise of food prices will eventually affect every consumer. The time is now to take action to prevent the food crisis from affecting you and your family.
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