With the industrialisation, the travelling and exchange of products around the world has increased. We can eat fruits and vegetables that come from the other side of the planet, we can easily access to meat, eggs, milk with animal breeding, we can taste foods from countries we have never been to.
Nevertheless, these easy accesses have a cost. We enjoy this system without really considering the impact it can have on the environment. Because it has an impact ! And of course, some solutions to change our habits for the better.
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First of all, the pollution we talk about is in the production. For example, with the meat we take in consideration the breeding : feeding animals and infrastructures to take care of them. And the fact is that for products of animal origin there are more greenhouse gasses produced than for vegetal products. Studies have shown that producing 1kg of beef gives out 50 to 80 times more greenhouse gasses than producing 1 kg of wheat. This is why some scientists advise becoming vegan or vegetarian, or at least to reduce our consumption of meat. For example, to eat it only once a week. You can replace it with other sources of proteins such as lentil, tofu or nuts. It is not necessary to give it all up, of course.
Second of all, the pollution is in the travelling of the products. In stores, you can find fruits that come from different countries, and that are not growing in your country at that time of the year. The carrying of these products are made by plane, container ships or trains. You can’t decide how your products are being transported, of course. But you can choose in stores the coming of your product and choose the closest countries. It will also be helpful economically for your local farmer.
To finish, agriculture also causes pollution of the soil with pesticides. To reduce that, organic agriculture is the solution. Of course, the cost of these products is higher than normal products. But if from time to time you can choose this type of product, it is always nice. It can also be nice for your body and health in the long term.
To conclude, the little advice to keep in mind and to gain better habits for the environment are : to look out for information about the seasonal fruits and vegetables, to choose products that come from your country or from nearby countries, to try to reduce your meat consumption and to try to turn to organic food from time to time.
This article is part of the Project Our Food Our Future, and was written by Lucie Spohr!
Sources :
https://vegan-pratique.fr/pourquoi-devenir-vegan/pour-l-environnement/
https://www.viande.info/manger-vegetal-efficace-bio-local
https://www.vogue.fr/beaute/article/regime-vegan-impact-sur-la-planete
https://www.veganimpact.com/pour-la-planete