Transition process

Reducing our ecological footprint and contributing to the well-being of local communities can mitigate the damaging effect of processed foods on the environment, writes Rohil Jethmalani

As the human population has grown and our food has become increasingly industrialised, most of us no longer know the journey our food takes to reach our table. We walk into a supermarket and pick what we want from beautifully stacked shelves without realising the impact that it has had on the environment.

With processed foods, this knowledge gap is even more apparent since every ingredient is sourced from a different region.

But in order to take effective steps towards a more sustainable future, it is necessary to know how the food we eat impacts the world we live in.

Here are some ways in which processed foods are damaging the environment:

Long-distance transportation

Every ingredient in processed foods is acquired from different regions. Once it is processed and packed, it often travels many miles and even across continents before it reaches the consumer. This generates a significant amount of greenhouse gases, the leading cause of climate change.

Waste generation

Almost all processed foods are packed in plastic to increase their shelf life. Plastic is the leading cause of oceanic degradation and dangerously threatens the health of marine life. We can no longer handle the amount of plastic we generate and processed foods are one of the biggest users of plastic across the globe.

Energy-intensive process

The processing of food occurs in factories that often use heavy machinery giving rise to pollution and toxic by-products.

Preservatives

Processed foods often need to have a shelf life of more than 6 months. This means that the industry uses a large number of preservatives, many of which are synthetic. The production of synthetic preservatives releases toxic waste into the environment which often lands up in water bodies.

These toxins gradually travel up the food chain and through the process of bioaccumulation become more harmful and can ultimately be detrimental to animal and human health.

Food wastage

Since raw materials have to be transported over large distances to reach factories, a lot of it goes bad. Moreover, many foods, once they are processed, require to be stored under specific temperatures or humidity conditions. Power failures, transportation issues and logistical errors often lead to a large amount of food being wasted.

One-third of all food produced in the world goes waste, of which 30% is
due to food processing which could feed almost 270 million people. This means that a lot of our finite land and water resources are being used only to eventually land up in a landfill or the ocean.

What can you do?

The first step is to cut down your consumption of processed foods to only that which is essential. This might mean changing your diet to one that includes more fresh grains, fruits and vegetables. Wherever possible, switch to food that is locally grown and produced.

This way you will not only be reducing your ecological footprint but also contributing to the well-being of your local communities. Think simple, local and natural.

(The author is a yoga & self-care creator.)