Food sustainability: As easy as pie?
In this day and age, with all the hustle and bustle, do we ever take the time to reflect on where our food comes from? Are we aware of the journey, resources and time it took to produce the tinned tomatoes that sit on our shelves? In recent years, the discussion on food sustainability has become increasingly important, especially as more European countries declare a climate emergency. People are taking greater interest in sustainable food production and are re-thinking the way we purchase and consume food and how much of it we waste.
This week marks the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR), the biggest Europe initiative promoting awareness of sustainable resources and waste management. Reflecting on this topic, Giulia Magri spoke to Martina Darmanin, the Human Rights and Solidarity coordinator for the European Student’s Union (ESU), who will be graduating with an MSc in Food Studies and Environmental Health. Recently back from the Young European Federation of Food Science and Technology (EFFoST) conference, Martina spoke about how Europe is addressing the problems of feeding a growing population and how more communication between key players in the local food industry can help sustain the planet.
Why is food so important in the climate change discussion?
Over and over again statistics have shown that one of the greatest contributors to greenhouse gases is the food industry. In animal husbandry, cattle produce a significant amount of the greenhouse gas methane; the transportation of cattle and food products generate great quantities of carbon dioxide emissions and the crazy amount of plastic packaging is polluting and harming our environment. The way we consume and sustain ourselves is having a great impact on our planet, without which we cannot continue to live. Martina explained that the food industry is scientific, environmental and political.
“Now is the time for our concerns and discussions to be translated into action. The human population is growing and in the next couple of decades there will be around ten billion people on this planet. The agri-food industry is strained to meet the increasing demand for food while having to overcome the challenges of decreased land availability due to urbanisation, unpredictable weather conditions due to climate change and crop losses due to persistent weeds and pests. That is why we must be open to exploring more sustainable means of feeding the growing population while combatting the challenges of food safety and climate change.”
She explained that food engineers and scientists are researching the functionality and processing of food, the consumers’ perception of food and raising awareness of the authenticity of food. “More and more people want to understand what they are eating, whether it is healthy and the authenticity of their food,” explained Martina. She explained that throughout the conference, a number of scientists and engineers have researched different means of looking into food production and how new digital technologies such as blockchain can aid in improving the process of traceability of food production and reduce mistakes along the way.
Tackling one of the biggest challenges in the food industry: waste
Throughout the discussion, the main challenge mentioned was the generation of food waste, particularly at a local level.
“The question we need to ask is how we can give value to food waste? We have examples: France began food waste regulation, where in supermarkets or cafes must reduce the price of food products which might not be physically appealing or which is past its expiry date but edible. That way, we do not throw away food but extend its lifespan and make it available to people at a cheaper price. In Belgium there is a mobile app which sends you a notification of particular restaurants or supermarkets where you can get any leftover food for a cheaper rate,” explained Martina. She also spoke about the idea of creating a circular economy in the food cycle by generating new components and materials (such as biodegradable packaging) from food waste products.
More communication between key figures in the food industry on a local scene
Apart from her own studies, Martina wanted to delve deeper into the local community’s perspective of food and the challenges Malta faces. “We need to be honest about the challenges we face in Malta’s agri-food industry if we hope to work on the right solutions.” She put it into one simple word; communication. That being communication between the four key groups in the food industry – the community, the industry, academia and the government.
“Communication is key between these different sectors. Each group has valuable experience, diverse expertise and targeted ideas of how the food industry can be improved and become more sustainable,” she explained. She pointed out how different NGO’s and groups have been raising more awareness on the food chain (that is the food’s journey from farm to fork) and the importance of buying local food products. Animal Liberation Malta in particular have been raising their voice on where food is coming from and raising more awareness about the dairy industry. She also praised the work of the NGO Friends of the Earth
Malta who have come up with the concept of community gardens, holding workshops for individuals who wish to learn skills in order to produce and grow their own food. “Once you start communicating among one another, you can begin to collaborate and help each other.”
Martina also highlighted that academia must also play a part, through research and also applying their research to industries and the community. “It would be interesting to consider including science communication as part of the learning outcomes and course credits. That way young scientists can be given the freedom to apply their learning and research in the local community and perhaps facilitate new networks and opportunities for collaboration with the industry.” She said that industry also plays a vital role in the discussion of sustainable food and how it can also help by teaming up with academics enhance local production systems.
Martina highlighted that since Parliament has announced a Climate Change Emergency, it is time to act. “It is important that the government emphasises communication between all these sectors. We are seeing the Malta
Youth Council (KNŻ) launch policies, which hopefully the ministry will take up. We must combine these four key sectors and give them the space to discuss; yes, it will be awkward at first, with conflicting interests, but once you start with a goal, a target, an aim, then there is no failure, only a path towards improvement.” She highlighted that now is the time to start reaching out and for NGO’s, industries, academia and the government to work together and to provide more concrete actions on enhance food sustainability.
“Climate emergency is not going to stop, and we cannot wait anymore. None of these sectors alone have the answer, but they all have a different role to play, which is why we must come together. Admitting that we do not know everything alone and that there are problems in our food chain is just the first step. Once we then set or goals together, we all have diverse expertise and backgrounds that can offer different solutions to making our food chain more sustainable and more resilient to sustain the present and future generation.”