Sustainability http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWfqZggtM_w

SUSTAINABILITY What? How? Why? L.O: To understand that sustainability is a key issue for consumers and producers of food and give practical suggestions of how to create a more sustainable food system. ALL students will be able to define sustainability MOST students will be able to; explain how sustainability may be implemented into a domestic and/ or commercial setting SOME students will be able to; explain why the food and agricultural system has a significant detrimental impact on the world's resources

SUSTAINABILITY What is it?? There is no legal definition for the term sustainability, which is why it is sometimes confusing! Sustainability is a GLOBAL contemporary issue and vast in terms of impact and strategy. Try to define sustainability in your own words…

How can consumers and producers support a sustainable food system? Sustain recommends 7 ACTION POINTS Think, discuss and make notes... How do these changes in consumption create a more sustainable food system? How will these also affect product development, marketing and production? How could these be incorporated into YOUR product specification?

ACTION POINT 1; Buy local, seasonally available ingredients Increasing demand for a wide range of ready-prepared exotic varieties Increase in GHG due to food transport Soft fruits which go off quickly have to either be treated with chemicals or travel by air Consumers pay more for additional costs of refrigeration, packaging & transportation Loss of local food security Loss of food culture Loss of food knowledge and skills Do you know any local initiatives or ways that companies can keep it local and seasonal??

ACTION POINT 2; Buy food from farming systems that minimise harm to the environment Economic burden- UK farming contributes to 1% of total economic activity but takes up 74% of land Loss of natural habitat for local wildlife Soil erosion Water pollution How could the land be put to better use?? Do consumers understand what labels to look out for and what they mean???

ACTION POINT 3; Reduce the amount of foods of animal origin Globally, animal farming causes more GHGs than all the cars, lorries and planes in the world put together!! Deforestation to grow huge amounts of animal feed to produce small amounts of produce; 7kg of grain used to yield 1kg of beef 4kg grain used to yield 1kg pork 2kg grain for 1kg of poultry What is the staple diet in developing countries?

More on why we should reduce the amount of foods of animal origin Nitrogen fertilisers are used to produce animal feed- GHG: nitrous oxide Livestock emit high amounts of methane from their digestive system Deforestation causes a natural ‘carbon sink’ as less carbon dioxide is absorbed Energy intensive production, refrigeration and transportation methods Over stocking- disease Corner cutting- e.g. Cutting tails from pigs- reducing animal welfare

ACTION POINT 4; Stop buying fish species identified as most ‘at risk’ by the Marine Conservation Society Over three quarters of the world’s fish stocks are currently either fully or over exploited due to increase demand and intense fishing The “Big Five”; cod, haddock, tuna, salmon and prawns are most commonly eaten in the UK and therefore fish stocks are reducing Fish farming destroys other marine life and natural resources needed for the life cycle to sustain itself Whilst eating oily fish is vital for health we need to vary the types of fish that we eat in order to ensure that the health benefits can be enjoyed by future generations Swap the “Big Five” for Pollock, Coley, Hake, crab, pilchards, sardines… and opt for “line caught”

ACTION POINT 5; Choose Fairtrade-certified products The growers get a fair price for their product Helps the ‘growers’ in the developing world maintain a reasonable standard of living Fairtrade guarantees local sustainability – a guarantee that they will be able to re-plant and maintain their crops year on year Guarantees better working conditions Companies who buy the products must pay the market price Fairtrade products are becoming more popular in the UK – sales have doubled in value over the last 2 years

ACTION POINT 6; Avoid bottled water Waste of money- £1,000 spent on bottled water would cost only 49p for the same volume from the tap!! UK tap water is purified and tested to higher standards than bottled No known health benefits High energy costs of production and transport Environmental costs of disposal of plastic bottles Reduce, re-use, recycle: How many uses can you think of for a plastic bottle?? What other considerations are there for water in commercial and domestic settings??

ACTION POINT 7; Protect your and your family’s health and well-being Diet related diseases cause a huge burden on the world’s economy Obesity is expected to cost the NHS £45 billion by 2050 and this may rise Promote the 8 government guidelines for health and you will help to create a more sustainable planet Do you know what these are?? Link with what we have learned about sustainability

Recycling – using recycled materials Don’t forget Packaging Recycling – using recycled materials using materials that can be recycled using bio-degradable materials inform the consumer how to safely dispose of the packaging Use of logos on packaging Using less packaging Stop pointless packaging Using thinner packaging Buy products in larger packages e.g.. Family sized portions instead of individual Use your own shopping bags Did you know that 70% of packaging materials used by industry could be recycled but we only actually recycle about 33%

Sustainability is big news in Food Technology and MUST be incorporated into your answers. Your Task Write a summary of your findings on sustainability; Define Outline why it is important Give practical suggestions on how you will develop a sustainable product (No more than 250 words)

Recommended films for more information on sustainability and the food chain… Recommended further reading; http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/17_12_07_sustainguide.pdf http://www.sustainweb.org/