Another food related epidemic which broke put was bird flu. This led to a dramatic drop in sales of chicken and turkey. Both Sainsbury’s and Waitrose have campaigns to do with these matters now.
People also eat ethically because of environmental concerns. There is worry that supplies of many fish are running out, too many are being fished which does not give enough time for the species to be able to reproduce sufficiently so they can survive. Other animals risk becoming extinct too, because too many are being killed for the consumers demands. Energy wasted in the food industry, is also very concerning for environmentalists as well. For example, the prawn industry is very energy expensive. Prawns are caught by trawlers that produce greenhouse gases and are then transported to be hand peeled and frozen, and then often shipped somewhere else to be sold. In turn, they have a huge carbon footprint.
Furthermore, it is suggested that food is responsible for 20% of the UK’s entire carbon footprint. For instance, the average Sunday lunch in the UK ingredients can travel over 40,000 kilometres to reach the consumers plate. Buying local food will help reduce the amount of carbon used in transporting produce to consumers’ plates. So, 1.5kg of local lamb, 1kg of local potatoes, 500g of local leeks, and 500g of local carrots all travelling 30 km would average a total distance of 120 km to get to a consumers plate and would emit 0.168kg of carbon dioxide. However, from a supermarket a Sunday lunch could travel a lot further. 1.5 kg of New Zealand lamb travelling 32000 km by sea and then 300 by a HGV, 1kg of potatoes travelling 300km by a HGV, 200g of green beans from Kenya travelling 6800km by air and 300km by a HGV ad finally 500g of carrots delivered by a HGV would total up a distance of 40000 km to reach the consumer’s plate and would emit 3.12kg of carbon dioxide. Therefore, to reduce carbon dioxide levels, buying locally sourced foods is much better for the environment.
On the other hand, reduced food miles do not necessarily mean that the product is more energy efficient. Less energy can be used in growing tomatoes in Spain and then shipping them to the UK than in growing it in the UK with the assistance of more heating and fertiliser but closer to the consumer.
Cattle also produce more greenhouse gases than the entire world’s transport. Mainly huge amounts of methane. The rise in demand of meat products also leads to deforestation, more land is needed for cattle to graze, which harms the environment even more as trees and plants are needed to withdraw carbon dioxide from the air and emit oxygen.
More than one third of the world's grain harvest is diverted from feeding people to feeding cattle too. In the United Kingdom, livestock consume 65% of all the grain produced. The land used for cattle to graze can also be limited, so grain can be grown instead, as it would help feed the world. This is because an acre of cereal produces and feeds five times more people than an acre used for meat production.
Millions of consumers in the first world countries are dying from dietary diseases such as heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and stomach cancer, brought on by eating animal products, while the world’s poor are dying from diseases of malnourishment. We should encourage and promote a diversified, high-protein, vegetarian diet as reducing meat intake is very beneficial for the wider population.
Some people say another way to eat ethically is vegetarianism. Eating meat causes death to other animals, and despite attempts to make slaughter "humane", whether it is "kosher", "halal" or otherwise, it causes stress and pain as well. Therefore, eating meat is immoral and unethical. Selfish too, since the person who eats meat does so only for the pleasure and temporary satisfaction of their taste buds. Especially, when there are so many vegetarian alternatives. There are health benefits too. Vegetarians consume two to three times as much fibre as do meat-eaters. This can help to reduce cholesterol and blood glucose levels, and protect against colon cancer. They consume more anti-oxidants too, which are found in a wide variety of plant foods. Anti-oxidants protect cells from oxygen-induced damage and reduce the risk for heart disease, arthritis, cancer, and other diseases. These are only some reasons to why vegetarians are found to live longer. So, not only is vegetarianism ethical, it also has health benefits. However, people in the UK don’t have to become strict vegetarians and vegans, but can limit their meat intake. Meat doesn’t need to be eaten every day, and health wise isn’t ideal either, so to help feed the world the people in the UK could designate certain days where meat would not be eaten, vegetarian meals would be eaten instead.
Organic food is often eaten because of ethical reasons too. However, some people make the mistake of thinking there are health benefits but eating organic food is just a lifestyle choice, as there is no evidence that organic food is more nutritious. They are produced though without using chemical pesticides, fungicides and synthetic fertilisers. Some doctors think that there is a link between the increased digestive track, bowel and stomach cancers and the pesticides/ insecticides sprayed onto fruits and vegetables. But, because of the use of manure on organic food, people consuming the fruits and vegetables are more prone to food poisoning if they are not washed well.
Lots of farmers are not paid enough for their labour because they work in developing countries. One way that ensures that this is not the case is Fair-trade. It gives producers a right share of money. The range of Fairly Traded food and beverages available is wide enough to have them all day long. Coffee sweetened with sugar cane sugar for breakfast, pasta for lunch, a cup of tea in the afternoon, and Quinoa for dinner. Currently you can find fair trade products everywhere, in lots of supermarkets and even some vending machines.
Another way to help feed the world is the production of genetically modified foods. However, the long term effects are not known.
by
channinggooog (student)
