Our Food System

As someone lives for the joy and nourishment of food, what keeps me up at night is the inherent problem with food.

Why doesn’t everyone have access to healthy, affordable food? How are we going to feed 9 billion people by 2050? How do we achieve a sustainable food model that supports the health of all people, the vitality of farmers and producers, and the fair treatment of this Earth?

For years I’ve stumbled through the labyrinth of this problem, seeking understanding and solutions. What I see is overwhelming complexity. Uncomfortable truths. Inequities. At the root, there are no easy answers. More like a call for change. A massive reset. This problem is not just about food – it touches almost every aspect of our economy and society. But there are things each of us can do, in small ways every day, to create change. It starts with what we eat.

I don’t know exactly what I’m trying to do in this space. I’m not an expert – I’m merely a concerned citizen, living and learning right beside you. Maybe I can help create some awareness? Maybe I can simplify this problem so more people understand it? Maybe as I learn new things or discover new resources, I can share it? It’s worth a shot.

What’s a Food System?

A food system encompasses all the process that keep us fed – growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, transporting, consumption, and disposal.

What makes food systems complex are the broader and interconnected economic, societal, environmental contexts that influence each stage of the cycle, shaping the health, sustainability, accessibility, and price of food.

According to the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, a sustainable food system is one that delivers food security and nutrition for all in such a way that:

1. Is profitable throughout – economic sustainability
2. Has broad-based benefits for society – social sustainability
3. Has a positive or neutral impact on the natural environment – environmental sustainability

So What’s the Problem?

Well. We don’t have a sustainable food system. It’s not my opinion – it’s math.

Albert Bartlett was a physics professor who put together a now famous lecture called “Arithmetic, Population and Energy” in 1969. He delivered the lecture 1,742 times, to drill home this simple, logical, and irrefutable idea.

Exponential growth in the consumption of finite resources is unsustainable.

Here’s the math…

Food Insecurity

Food security exists when all people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food, to meet dietary needs and food preferences, for an active and healthy life. Food insecurity exists when there isn’t consistent, reliable access to a sufficient amount of quality food for an active, healthy life.

The Urgent Need

Food insecurity has increased 2-3x in the wake of coronavirus – In 2018, the USDA reported that 11% of households were food insecure (an all-time high). As of April 2020, that number has increased to 22 – 38%.
Atlanta food banks are seeing a 30-40% increase in demand since March.
Children are more likely to face food insecurity than any other group in the United States. 45% of deaths in children under 5 are due to poor nutrition.
Hunger among children can cause behavioral problems and lowered academic performance, which can lead to lifelong setbacks.

What You Can Do:

Volunteer. Donate. If you can. See below for local Atlanta organizations that need your help.
Look out for your neighbor. It takes a village. Resources for free and reduced-price food in Atlanta can be found here.

The Bigger Problem – Nutritional Inequality

The burden of poor nutrition and food insecurity is not evenly distributed.

The economic divide: Wealthy people buy healthier food than lower-income people. And diet-related diseases disproportionately affect the poorest Americans.
The racial divide: Black and Hispanic households with children are nearly twice as likely to be food insecure as similar white families
The cycle: Diseases associated with poor nutrition and food insecurity lead to an average of $1,800 in additional medical costs per year.
Is it a supply problem? In other words, without easy access to healthy foods, are people more likely to purchase unhealthy foods? A recent study says no, not entirely. Exposing low-income households to the same food and prices experienced by high-income households would reduce nutritional inequality by only 9%.

91% of the problem is driven by demand. Increasing access to nutritious foods is important, however, broader solutions must address issues like income, educational inequality, nutritional knowledge, and regional preferences that ultimately shape how we choose what food to buy.

Food’s True Cost

Friends, this is a big, hairy one.

First, we’ve got these big farms…

The industrialization of agriculture began after World War II, as a way of addressing global hunger and making the food supply more efficient and safe.
These large farms work like factories, maximizing yield and efficiencies, resulting in food that is less expensive for consumers, at a scale that keeps our supermarkets stocked. This is how most of the food in the U.S. is produced.
U.S. food systems is the most efficient in the world, at least in terms of the dollar and cent costs of production.
As a result, Americans spend less on food, as a proportion of income, than any other country in the world (6.5% of income!)
The public health and ecological costs of this type of food production are not reflected in the cost we pay. More on that later.
This method of farming is also not sustainable, as it degrades the finite, natural resources it depends upon.

Our inexpensive food takes a toll on the environment

Big farms usually rely on pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, require a lot of fossil fuel inputs, and produce waste that pollutes the water and air.
They also use practices like tilling, or chopping up the top layer of soil, which leads to carbon dioxide (CO2) emmissions – a greenhouse gas – and erodes top soil. This top soil issue is a big deal. Learn more here.

And then there’s our health

Industrial farms primarily grow commodity crops – like corn and soy – which consumers buy as meat and processed food.
The foods increasing our mortality risk the most are also damaging the environment the most (see chart).
It’s not the farmer’s fault – they grow what the market demands. Only 2% of U.S. crop land is used to grow fruits and vegetables. 60% is used to grow commodity crops. How’s that for supply and demand.

Now, let’s take a trip to the grocery store

All of those environmental impacts above? Those are called externalized costs. Fossil fuel consumption, air and water pollution, soil degradation, health care costs – not included in our price tag.
These costs are paid by taxpayers, or by communities suffering from the impacts of these problems.
Imagine if the impact were represented in the cost

Sustainable Farming & Eating

Industrial agriculture consumes finite resources without replenishing them, including soil nutrients, fossil fuels and water.
Sustainable agriculture produces its own inputs (fertilizer from animals, feed grown on the land) and manages its outputs (crop waste, manure) in a closed loop cycle. It contributes to soil fertility, clean water systems, biodiversity and other ecosystem services, rather than depleting them. It’s regenerative, which means it can continue indefinitely without degrading the systems on which it depends.
Yields from industrial farms and regenerative farms are identical —except in cases of extreme weather, where regenerative outperforms conventional.
Is it the same as Organic? Not exactly. Organic food is grown or made without the use of artificial chemicals. Sustainable farming takes things a step further, addressing the carbon footprint. Many organic farms are sustainable, but not all.
Does it cost more? Yes. In the words of Michael Pollen, Pay more, eat less. There’s no escaping the fact that better food – whether measured by taste or nutritional content – costs more because it has been grown with more care.

What You Can Do:

Prioritize Plants. They’re better for our health and environment.
Reduce Meat. Even just a little. Consider local butchers sourcing from local sustainable farms, like Pine Street Market (they even ship to you!).
Avoid Overfished Seafood. Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch is the best resource for up-to-date info.
Know your labels. Look for the state or country of origin, and words like grass-fed, animal welfare approved, USDA Organic and local (more on that below).
Buy Local & Seasonal. Seasonal food costs less. And if it doesn’t have to travel to get to you, it puts less strain on the environment.
Grow Something. Put an herb in your windowsill. Develop an appreciation for what it takes to create food.

Resources:

EAT SUSTAINABLY

DINE SUSTAINABLY

COOK SUSTAINABLY

A Tale of Two Chickens — Tale of Two Chickens

Local Food Systems

A local food system is one that shortens the distance between food producers and consumers. Why does it matter?

It’s healthier. Food that stays on the vine longer develops more nutrients. When you eat it shortly after it’s picked, you get the benefit of those nutrients. Most non-local produce is picked before it’s ripe so it can survive the trip to the grocery store.
It’s resilient to supply chain disruptions. Local food producers are not as dependent on labor, transport, packaging or distribution.
It’s better for the environment. A shorter distance between producer and consumer means few carbon impacts and less waste.
It’s good for our communities & economies. Local consumption creates important human connection within our community, especially during times like these. According to the USDA, for every $100 spent on locally-produced food, $62 stays within our local economy, and $99 stays in the state.

FoodWell Alliance Report — Local Produce, Delivered

Waste

Yet another paradox of our food system – America has enough food to feed everyone, yet each year, we waste 30-40% of the food supply, according to the USDA. That adds up to more than $160 billion wasted per year. All of that wasted food would be enough to feed 2 billion people, but just a fraction of it could feed the 800 million people who are hungry.

The trend over time is staggering. Our food waste has tripled since 1950.