Best and Worst Foods for the Environment
You’ve probably heard about the “dirty dozen” list, which lists the top foods for their pesticide residue and environmental impact. But did you know that one quarter of all global emissions come from the production of food? By making simple dietary changes, you can reduce your carbon footprint and help the environment.
Beef
Beef is a carbon-intensive food. It contributes four to eight times more emissions than any other food, and is the main culprit in climate change. Beef production also consumes more land, water, fuel, and fertilizer than other meats.
Poultry
Pork and poultry produce the least amount of greenhouse gas emissions compared to beef and pork. The poultry industry is also less exploitative than other meats, making it a great choice for those concerned with the environment. In particular, poultry meat is produced in more sustainable ways and may be produced at home.
Fish
Studies have shown that eating fish can help the environment. In developed countries, most people eat more than 1.5lbs of meat each week, and replacing these meals with fish can save the equivalent of 6,000 miles of driving per year. It also conserves space and water. Livestock production is responsible for approximately 90% of freshwater usage on Earth, and livestock production is estimated to consume more than half of arable land. Meanwhile, the world’s population is projected to reach 9 billion by 2050.
Cereals
There are a lot of different kinds of food, but one thing that is incredibly consistent is that they are all harmful to the environment. This is due to how much food is wasted, which is equivalent to about half the world’s cereal crop. In 2009/2010, this was estimated to be 2.3 billion tonnes. In Europe, this equated to about 95-115 kilograms of food wasted per person. In the poorest areas, this number was almost double. However, there are ways to reduce food waste.
Coffee
Coffee is a popular drink around the world, but there are some downsides to its production. First of all, conventional coffee is one of the most chemically treated foods on the planet. It contains high levels of pesticides and herbicides. In addition, farmers are exposed to high levels of chemicals when they spray their crops. Those chemicals then end up in the water, affecting the surrounding communities.
Asparagus
Unlike many other fresh vegetables, asparagus has a heavy carbon footprint. Because it travels long distances before reaching the market, it produces more greenhouse gases than vegetables that are grown close to home. A pound of asparagus produces 19.6 pounds of carbon dioxide. This heavy carbon footprint is primarily due to the transportation process since most of the asparagus consumed in the United States is grown in South America.
Tuna
Tuna is a popular and valuable fish that is caught in more than 70 countries. It is consumed fresh, frozen, and canned. However, tuna species are overfished and endangered. The high demand for tuna has led to overfishing.
Salmon
Salmon is one of the most delicious foods available, but it’s also one of the worst for the environment. This fish is highly contaminated, containing high levels of arsenic, mercury, PCBs, DDT, and dioxins. The flesh of the fish can also contain industrial-strength fire retardants and other chemicals. The toxin level in salmon flesh is nine times higher than in water.
Prawns
Prawns are among the most environmentally harmful foods that we eat. The main reason for this is that they are carnivorous, which means they are extremely hungry. This also means that the intensive farming techniques involved in catching them can be extremely damaging to the environment. Intensive shrimp farming is often associated with massive waste and contributes to the depletion of wild populations of prawns and other marine life.
Shrimps
In the quest for a healthier, more sustainable way to eat shrimp, consumers have to take environmental and food safety standards into account. To ensure their products are safe to eat, shrimp farmers use closed recirculating aquaculture systems (CRAS), which contain indoor tanks. These systems help shrimp farmers control water quality and avoid human-to-animal contact. However, these systems come with high start-up costs. If the water salinity is not correct, farmers can risk losing entire tanks.
