The systems that bring food from production to the plate are responsible for nearly one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions, significant biodiversity losses and global land and water degradation — with clear impacts upon human health . Waste is a key stage in global food systems and one that also has a significant ecological impact . To be clear, achieving true sustainability in food systems is a challenge for producers, distributors and all those involved in the global food system.
Systemic change is needed through policy and program interventions to support the production and availability of plant-based foods alongside greater emphasis on providing sustainable choices for the consumer . That being said, while systems-level change is critical, individuals can be powerful agents in the mitigation of ecological damage. The four steps in this article can help you live more healthily while also having a positive impact on the health of the planet.
Sustainable eating? Sustainable eating considers all stages of the food system/cycle, from production to waste. An estimated 20 to 50 per cent of annual food waste in Canada comes from the consumer or household level . This roughly translates to around 79 kilograms (167 pounds) of food waste per year for each Canadian household .
Perhaps most shockingly, over 60 per cent of this waste is avoidable food waste or food that could have been eaten but was thrown away for various reasons, including spoilage. Research from 2022 showed .