{"id":252901,"date":"2023-04-14T17:22:47","date_gmt":"2023-04-14T15:22:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=252901"},"modified":"2023-04-15T01:35:45","modified_gmt":"2023-04-14T23:35:45","slug":"waste-not-want-not-still-true-about-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=252901","title":{"rendered":"Waste Not, Want Not, Still True About Food"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Science Matters<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Ron Clutz<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
FILE – Dairy cows graze on a farm near Oxford, New Zealand, on Oct. 8, 2018. New Zealand scientists are coming up with some surprising solutions for how to reduce methane emissions from farm animals. (AP Photo\/Mark Baker, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jack Hubbard reports at Real Clear Markets Eat What You Want While Questioning \u2018Food Sustainability\u2019 Claims. <\/strong><\/a> Excerpts in italics with my bolds and added images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earth Day<\/strong> started 50 years ago, and if you judge the event by society\u2019s environmental conscientiousness, it\u2019s been a success<\/strong>. Today, people<\/strong> are increasingly considering the environmental impact of products<\/strong> they buy. That\u2019s true not just of cars and clothing, but also what we eat.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A survey last year found that 37% of consumers look for sustainability claims on food<\/strong>. Food marketers have taken note, increasing the number of food products with eco claims.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But buyers should beware: Not all food sustainability claims are true.<\/mark><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where is the Beef?<\/strong><\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the single most common claim<\/strong> you\u2019ll hear today about food is that meat is bad for the environment.<\/strong> Ads for plant-based fake meat commonly assert this. These claims are parroted by animal rights activists<\/strong> who\u2013naturally\u2013don\u2019t like people eating meat. You can even find a few documentaries that try to paint meat as eco-unfriendly.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But is eating meat actually bad for the environment? No.<\/mark><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A frequently cited statistic is that 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions<\/strong> are from animal agriculture. But what you may not know is that this figure doesn\u2019t apply to the US, where we have the most advanced modern agricultural technology in the world.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

American agriculture has become economically and environmentally more efficient over time. For instance, we need 60% fewer cows yet produce twice as much milk as we did in the 1930s.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EPA tracks greenhouse gas emissions and reports them by sector. According to the EPA, all of our agriculture<\/strong> only accounts for about 9% of total US greenhouse gas emissions<\/strong>, while animal agriculture<\/strong> accounts for only about 4%<\/strong>. That\u2019s why researchers estimate that if the entire U.S. population went vegan tomorrow, it would only reduce greenhouse gas emissions by less than 3%. That also means, as an individual, giving up meat will have zero impact on curbing climate change.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fake Meat Doesn\u2019t Lower Emissions<\/strong><\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

It turns out that producing plant-based fake meats<\/strong> actually produces the same<\/strong> amount of emissions<\/strong> as producing chicken<\/strong>. And cell-cultured meat<\/strong>\u2013that is, grown from cells in a lab setting\u2013has five times the emissions of regular chicken.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why? Because while making fake meat may use less land than raising chickens, it uses much more electricity<\/strong> to power all those factories that make fake meat.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOrganic\u201d Feels Good<\/strong><\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOrganic\u201d is another term that many consumers look for, thinking organic food is better<\/strong> for the environment and their health. Once again, reality is different from perception.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A recent study of organic vs. modern agriculture on different factors such as land use, climate, over-fertilization, and energy use. Modern farming was superior on land use<\/strong> while organic farming was better on chemicals.<\/strong> Overall, the two compared equally on most factors.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Most consumers also believe that organic food is more nutritious.<\/strong> But once again, scientific research<\/strong> has found there\u2019s no real difference<\/strong>.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food Waste Is Important<\/strong><\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The biggest environmental impact associated with food isn\u2019t about the food we eat. It is actually about food we don\u2019t eat.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The USDA estimates that up to one-third of food produced in the country is thrown away.<\/strong> Whether that\u2019s meat or fake meat, or organic produce or non-organic produce, that food took resources to grow and fuel to transport.<\/strong> And all of those resources go to waste when you don\u2019t finish your meal or throw out the leftovers.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the lesson?<\/strong><\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Eat what you want and ignore the marketing claims. In the big picture,
anyone\u2019s diet has a small footprint. But whatever you choose to eat,
make sure you don\u2019t let it go to waste.<\/mark><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eat what you want and ignore the marketing claims. In the big picture,
\nanyone\u2019s diet has a small footprint. But whatever you choose to eat,
\nmake sure you don\u2019t let it go to waste.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":252918,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818444,691818441,691818056,691818440,691818071,691818443,691818442,691818154],"class_list":["post-252901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-agriculture","tag-beef","tag-climate-change","tag-eco-claims","tag-environment","tag-greenhouse-gas-emissions","tag-meat","tag-net-zero","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0tenderloin.jpg?fit=1800%2C1200&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-13N3","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":318177,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=318177","url_meta":{"origin":252901,"position":0},"title":"The Miami Herald is (Partially) Right \u2013 Python Farming Will Not Stop Climate Change","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"04\/16\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"A recent article by the Miami Herald, titled \u201cPythons are eating the Everglades. 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