1/ Like water and air, food is essential for survival and functioning of living organisms. In human beings, it’s characterized by harvesting, storing and preparing food. In our contemporary societies, the way we eat, particularly meat, has a harmful impact on our environment.

2/ Food production is responsible for 26% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. According to a study conducted in 2016, 1.3 billion tons of food are lost or wasted each year around the world. Nearly a third of the food produced is either lost or wasted each year worldwide. The number of undernourished in the world reaches 768 million, according to FAO estimates in 2022, or almost 10% of the world’s population.

Lastly, hundreds of millions of animals get killed for food everyday around the world. Many people are increasingly opting for a vegetarian or vegan diet in order to reduce the environmental footprint of food production and the number of animals killed.

3/ The average meat consumption per person worldwide is 34 kg per year, but with significant gaps from one part of the world to another. A person in the United States, Argentina or Australia consumes roughly more than 105 kg per year ; in other American countries and in Europe it’s between 60 and 95 kg, whereas in India and in many African countries a person eats less than 10kg of meat per year.

Each kilogram of meat thus produces 5 to 10 times more greenhouse gas than one kilogram of cereal. The order of magnitude regarding carbon emissions is not the same depending on the type of farming (factor 1 to 10 between poultry and beef). Dairy products also contain a lot of carbon because cattle (and to a lesser extent, sheep) emit methane and are partly fed with crops grown as a result of deforestation. Animal welfare in farming conditions raises ethical questions. The over-processing of food also raises questions, for health reasons.

4/ By making informed food choices, we can help improve the environmental impact of our consumption. Initiatives such as adopting vegan, vegetarian or flexitarian diets or by joining a CSA (Community-supported agriculture) to buy local and fresh products can play a crucial role in transforming production methods by consumers.