How much do you know about the food on your fork?

Food production and consumption has a major impact on the environment (True/False)

True

Food systems place considerable pressure on the environment, generating between 21 and 37 per cent of all human greenhouse gas emissions. Because it requires vast amounts of land, agriculture is responsible for three-quarters of global deforestation and trends suggest that by 2050, about 10 million km2 of forests will have been cleared to meet food demand. This a serious loss, particularly because trees mitigate climate change by storing carbon and releasing oxygen.

Also, food that is wasted accounts for 8 per cent of annual greenhouse gas emissions and unnecessary packaging results in solid waste – the majority of which ends up as landfill.

Food production and consumption has nothing to do with coronaviruses (True/False)

False

Wildlife habitats act as natural buffer zones that can reduce opportunities for viruses to spill over from wild animals to people. So, when we remove trees and wildlife habitats to create space for farming and other industries, in many cases we are also increasing our exposure to disease risks.

Intensive livestock farming may also provide a bridge for pathogens to be passed from wild animals to domesticated animals, and then from those animals to humans.

According to a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) assessment released last year, increasing demand for animal protein, unsustainable agricultural intensification and climate change are among the human factors affecting the emergence of zoonotic diseases.

People living in developed countries are typically healthy and well-nourished (True/False)

False

While large quantities of food may be available in developed countries, it is not necessarily nutritious. In every part of the world, people are consuming more foods that are energy-dense – high in sugar and saturated fats – but low in nutritional value. In fact, 46 per cent of the global burden of disease is at least partly attributable to poor diets.

Malnutrition can be found in every part of the world and many countries now face a double burden of both undernutrition and overweight or obesity.

Globally, hunger is more common than obesity (True/False)

False

More people are obese than underweight. Worldwide, 39 per cent of all adults are overweight and 13 per cent are obese. This increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, musculoskeletal disorders and some cancer, and results in at least 2.8 million deaths every year.

Excess weight and obesity are not just problems in high-income countries. Cases are rising dramatically in low- and middle-income countries and particularly in urban areas. In fact, many low- and middle-income countries now face simultaneous challenges of malnutrition and obesity.

690 million people in the world are hungry, even though there is enough food for everyone (True/False)

True

The world produces enough food to feed everyone on the planet. However, food production and consumption are not as efficient as they need to be and 3 billion people are unable to access a healthy diet.

Around one-third of the food we produce is lost or wasted. Every year, individuals waste 74kg of food on average – more than the weight of the average human – and this is a worldwide phenomenon.  The UNEP Food Waste Index Report shows substantial household food waste in nearly every country that has measured it – regardless of income levels. So, preventing loss and waste is an important way to reduce hunger. It could also reduce human greenhouse gas emissions by 8-10 per cent.

We might also consider the food we are producing in the first place – and the way that land and crops are used. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), if grasslands were more efficiently used as a basis for livestock feed and people were to consume the grain meant for animal feed, then the food would be sufficient, even for the global population projected for 2050.

About 2 billion people in the world suffer from micronutrient deficiencies because they do not have enough food to eat (True/False)

False

When we consider food as a component of global health, it is not simply a matter of getting enough to eat. It is also about a diet that is healthy, balanced and plant-rich.

The reduction of agricultural biodiversity in global food systems represents a serious health concern. From a total of 250,000 known plant species, just 7,000 have been used for human food since the origin of agriculture. Of those, 12 crops and five animal species provide 75 per cent of the world’s energy intake. In the last 50 years alone, human diets have become 37 per cent more similar.

According to the EAT-Lancet Commission, an estimated 19-24 per cent of adult deaths could be prevented by adopting diets that are diverse, plant-rich and low in saturated fats, refined grains, highly processed foods and added sugars.

Some common livestock farming practices have made it more difficult to develop treatments for diseases, including coronaviruses (True/False)

True

The overuse of antibiotics in intensive livestock farming – not only to prevent disease but also to promote growth – is creating resistance in humans and animals. In fact, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), some types of bacteria that cause serious infections in humans have already developed resistance to most or all available treatments. About 700,000 people die of resistant infections every year; by 2050, this may cause more deaths than cancer, and cost more than the size of the existing global economy.

There is no difference between animal-sourced and plant-sourced proteins (True/False)

False

Protein is an important component of a healthy diet, but there are some important environmental factors to bear in mind when making consumption choices.

Animal-sourced proteins are resource-intensive and can have a negative impact on the environment. For example, livestock produces 15 per cent of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions and, according to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, may be the single largest driver of biodiversity loss.

Plant-sourced proteins are less resource-intensive. They require less land, less water and produce less greenhouse gas. Moving toward plant-rich diets could help avail the cropland necessary to feed the world’s growing population, play an important role in combatting chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer, and reduce lost income and healthcare costs.

Provided that it is packaged and sold in grocery stores, food is healthy and safe to eat (True/False)

False

WHO has noted that although systems of food production should be designed to meet recommendations for healthy diets, the reality is that the goals of agriculture and nutrition have often diverged. The health and safety of food may be compromised in various ways throughout the production process.

The use of pesticides for intensive farming is a serious detriment to both environmental and human health. In developing countries, 25 million people suffer from acute pesticide poisoning every year. Glyphosate, one of the most widely used herbicides worldwide, is associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and other cancers.

Food processing and packaging also present risks. In 2015, WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classified processed meat as carcinogenic, linking it to colorectal cancer. And in some countries, food is packaged in plastic bottles and metal food cans that contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals. These can produce adverse developmental, neurological and immune effects.

Source: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/quiz-how-much-do-you-know-about-food-your-fork