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4.0 Module Learning Objectives
4.0 Module Learning Objectives
After completion of this module, you will be able to:
Identify problems with factory farms and industrial agriculture
Understand where food waste comes from
Recognize that food insecurity in the Bay Area is an environmental justice issue
4.1 Introduction to Food Systems
4.1 Introduction to Food Systems
The projected growth of population and income worldwide will cause heightened pressure on the food system as it stands today. Historically, humans have had an intimate connection with food. As we will learn in this module, the industrialization of food production is causing people to become completely removed from what they eat. The problem is not with a lack of food, but who has the power to control where it goes. Food insecurity is at an all-time high, yet food is the largest category of landfill waste.
The concept of food sovereignty empowers people to connect deeply with their food and the land it grows on. Food sovereignty centers those who produce, distribute, and consume local food at the heart of food systems and policies. Food sovereignty is about treating food as more than just a commodity, but as a precious life source and a means of connecting with the community.
4.2 Your Diet and Climate Change
4.2 Your Diet and Climate Change
Photo Source
Image 4.1
Food and Carbon Emissions
Food and Carbon Emissions
Making conscious dietary choices has the capability to greatly reduce personal greenhouse gas emissions. This is because certain foods have much higher environmental costs than others. You can use the carbon "foodprint" calculator linked at the bottom of this page to compare the resources consumed to produce your favorite foods. The chart on the left displays that one serving of beef has over six times the amount of associated greenhouse gas emissions in comparison to a meatless alternative.
The "Beef" With Animal Agriculture
The "Beef" With Animal Agriculture
If cows were a country, they would be the third-largest carbon emitter worldwide. But why exactly does the production of beef result in this high amount of greenhouse gas emissions? This video explains the main reasons, including the release of methane as a result of enteric fermentation (cow burps) and deforestation.
The costs associated with animal agriculture extend beyond climate change. Animal waste is produced in massive quantities at concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Some of the waste is used for fertilizer, but there is often more manure than can be recycled. The excess waste contributes to groundwater and air pollution. If you want to learn more, the article below shares more detailed information.
The important thing to emphasize here is that you don't need to become completely vegetarian to reduce the impact of your diet. Reducing meat consumption when you can, such as eating a few meatless dinners a week, still has the ability to make a sizable difference in emissions over time.
Image 4.2 This chart displays how land is used in the United States. Cow pastures use more land than any other sector by a sizable amount. To the right, we can see one of the second largest land use sectors is livestock feed.
Industrial Farming
Industrial Farming
Humans' relationship with food has changed drastically over the last few centuries as a result of the industrialization of the food system, particularly in the United States. While living off the land used to be commonplace, we now can simply walk into a grocery store and be met with an abundance of food. There's no doubt that this has made accessing food much easier. However, people have become increasingly less in control of their food and the methods used to produce it. Food suppliers are now consolidated into a few large and powerful entities. Four companies currently own over 60 percent of the global seed market. Many of these companies also produce pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemical products used during food production. Since corporations are motivated by maximizing profit, they use extractive processes that deplete the environment to produce maximum crop yields. This article explains the modern industrial food system in more detail and its associated challenges.
4.3 Food Waste
4.3 Food Waste
Photo Source
Image 4.3
In the United States, about 35 percent of food goes unsold or uneaten. We call this surplus food. Surplus food is either recycled, donated, or wasted. The chart above breaks down the amount of food in each category, with about 24 percent of the total food supply going to landfill waste. This means that the resources used to grow, harvest, transport, and prepare the food were pointlessly consumed. In total, surplus food accounts for 14 percent of freshwater use and 18 percent of cropland use in the United States. Food waste is also financially inefficient, costing the country hundreds of billions of dollars each year.
Where does food get wasted?
Where does food get wasted?
Waste occurs at every stage of the supply chain, from farm to fork. On the production side, excess food gets left on the fields or discarded due to stringent cosmetic standards. In the manufacturing phase, byproducts of the produced foods are discarded even though they are perfectly edible. For example, when baby carrots are produced, the whole carrot is cut into the familiar small rounded shape, while the majority of the carrot is discarded. In the retail stage, unregulated date labeling accounts for 50 percent of food waste. It's commonplace for high quantities of edible food to be thrown away due to sell-by or best-by dates placed by manufacturers.
By the time food reaches our plates, a fraction of it has already gone to the landfill. But as we can see on the chart below, households are actually the largest contributors to creating food waste. Poor management of portion sizes and meal planning leads to substantial amounts of waste over time. Being cognizant and creating a strategy is the best way to combat food waste. One method is to plan meals in advance with the food you already have. Another technique is to store perishable items like produce in a special container in the fridge so that you don't forget to eat them. This is especially important considering fruits and vegetables contribute to over a third of total food waste.
4.4 Food Insecurity in the Bay Area
4.4 Food Insecurity in the Bay Area
One factor that makes our country's food waste problem especially despicable is the simultaneous occurrence of mass food insecurity. Nationally, about 11 percent of the population is food insecure. And as we can see in the map displayed, Alameda County is about 2 percent more food insecure than the national (and regional) average. This is a paradigm of systemic inequity: while millions of tons of perfectly edible food are wasted each year, millions of Americans can't afford to sufficiently feed themselves.
To reconstruct the food system, we must consider why the needs of the community are not being met. There are many factors linked to food insecurity, including income, family size, and education status. However, the most prominent indicator of food insecurity is race. Hispanic and Black households are currently twice as likely to be food insecure than white households. Thus, it is clear that systemic racism plays a major role in creating food insecurity. You can learn more about the intersection between racial justice and food access here. Racial discrimination within the food system is yet another example of why principles of environmental justice must be centered while solving complex systemic issues.
Image 4.5 It is important to recognize that this map was made in 2018, and food insecurity has significantly increased since COVID-19. One study from San Jose State estimates that food insecurity in the Bay Area has risen 65 percent since the pandemic began.
4.5 What is CLPCCD doing?
4.5 What is CLPCCD doing?
The Market is a free food distribution open to students, staff, and the community. Distribution occurs on a first-come, first-serve basis. The Market is currently open every third Tuesday of the month from 12 to 3 pm in parking lot E.
FRESH (Food, Resources, and Education to Stop Hunger) Food and Life Pantry is a student-led organization at Chabot. FRESH currently hosts free food distributions every fourth Tuesday of the month.
In light of the increased need from the pandemic, Chabot College partnered with the City of Hayward and distributed over two million pounds of free food to the greater Hayward community over the past year.
Sustainable Dining on Campus
Sustainable Dining on Campus
Hawk Grill at Las Positas and Gladiator Grill at Chabot offer vegetarian and vegan options. Try a meatless alternative by ordering the Beyond Burger on either campus. The online menu identifies which items are meat-free!
Chabot-Las Positas is currently composting food scraps from the back of the cafeteria. Further action is necessary to reduce campus food waste, such as implementing a food recovery program.
4.6 What can I do?
4.6 What can I do?
Reduce meat consumption, especially beef
Purchase food from local markets or a CSA (community-supported agriculture) program
Create a system to reduce household food waste
Compost food scraps instead of putting them in the trash
Donate to a local food bank
Advocate for a food recovery program at Chabot-Las Positas
Get Involved
Get Involved
Volunteer at a food distribution on campus
Watch
Watch
Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story
4.7 Additional Resources
4.7 Additional Resources
Apply for monthly credit that can be used at grocery retailers (CalFRESH) or locate immediate food assistance near you.
This tool determines the environmental impact of common foods.
A library of resources to help reduce food waste at home.
4.8 Quiz
4.8 Quiz
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