Читать книгу Zero Waste Cooking For Dummies - Rosanne Rust - Страница 24

Reducing your food waste may also help mitigate climate change because food is the single largest category of material placed in municipal landfills. When food rots, it produces methane, a greenhouse gas (GHG) that is related to climate change. Landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the United States.

When you throw away food, you’re also throwing away all the energy and emissions from the production, packaging, and delivery of that food.

So what about eating less meat to save the planet, you ask? I recently read a magazine article that claimed that eating one less serving of beef a week for the year could be equivalent to driving 348 fewer miles. Statements like that are questionable. I have no idea how the author came to that conclusion (because no proven algorithms exist for it), but I often see “meat shaming” as a tactic to help save the environment. The article went on to say that ruminant animals are the “worst offenders” when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions and advised that the reader look for third-party certifications such as Animal Welfare Approved. These types of statements are misleading and without context. In addition, while animal welfare is important, it doesn’t have a direct impact on greenhouse gas emissions.

Agricultural systems are quite complex, as is the entire food supply chain. In any large system, there’s always a need for ongoing reevaluation and improvement. This book doesn’t aim to address all aspects of climate change and greenhouse emissions and the environment. As consumers, we’re responsible for the choices in our own households. You do you.

Food waste and animal welfare are separate topics. However, in my experience, when people use terms such as factory farming and animal welfare, they’re often taking a particular vegetarian-leaning stance. Large livestock farms in the United States are generally managed by people whose families have owned the land for many decades — which may not be what comes to mind when you hear the term factory farm. They’re large, family-owned farms. I maintain that most of the beef, veal, pork, lamb, and poultry that you find at your local food markets were raised and slaughtered as humanely as possible.

As a registered dietitian, I advise on nutrition and healthy lifestyle habits. Specific choices are yours to make; my goal is to share the science (as the body of evidence in how diet impacts health) and to help you keep all the chatter about food, diet, the planet, and health in perspective.