Here’s a recap from our previous post: the environmental impacts of food waste can be classified into two parts – the direct pollution of air, water, and soil, as well as the exacerbation of negative environmental impacts of food production and consumption. This blog entry will zoom in on the environmental pollution which occurs as a direct consequence of food wastage.
Remember how I mentioned that food can be both a victim and perpetrator of environmental pollution in my very first post? Today, we will explore the links between food waste and environmental pollution, to give you a better idea of why we should avoid wasting food if we want to save our planet.
A friend once told me of her intention to switch to consuming plant-based milks as a more environmentally-friendly alternative to regular milk, but faced many hurdles in doing so. Apart from the fact that certain types of plant milk (e.g. oat) are much more expensive than regular milk, the issue of additional food miles incurred by the import of these food products also adds a new layer to this dilemma.
Contrary to popular belief, the concept of food miles is not exactly a new one. In fact, Steel (2020) explains that the globalisation of the food chain started in ancient times, when less perishable types of food were shipped from one place to another via sea routes.