Martine Padilla CIHEAM-IAMM/UMR MOISA€¦ · Western diet 4000 m2 Mainly meat diet 7000 m2 Have we enough space? On the total surface, 12 billion ha (/51 billion of soil and water)

Time to rethink the food systems for a sustainable diet

Martine Padilla

CIHEAM-IAMM/UMR MOISA

Standing Committee on Nutrition - Martine PADILLA - Roma 12 November 2013

Food production and distribution =>

30% of GHG emissions of the planet

20% to 30% of acidification, eco-toxicity and human toxicity

more than 50% of eutrophication [EIPRO, 2006].


Aubert C. 2008

Different diets, different impacts

T o

f E

q C

O2 e

mis

sio

ns p

er

pers

on

/year

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Conventional (mainly

meat)

Conventional (standard)

Conventional (mainly

plant based)

Organic (mainly plant

based)

Organic (plant based)

Organic semi-autarkic

GHG emissions


Ecological Footprint of our Food

[FAO 2006]


Type of Food Area required

Vegetarian Food 500 m2

Dominant vegetarian

Food

700 m2

Western diet 4000 m2

Mainly meat diet 7000 m2

Have we enough space?

On the total surface, 12 billion ha (/51 billion of soil and water) are bio-

productive (Global Footprint Network)

Bio-productive surface per person: 1,9 hag (global hectar)

An European needs 4,8 hag => 2,5 planets

• An American = 5,2 planets

• A Bresilian = 1,3 planet

• A Chinese = 1 planet

• An Indian = 0,4 planet

• A South Mediterranean = 0,8 -1 planet

Living Planet Report 2012

Is there enough Earth?


Is there enough water?

96% of water is used for food [Marsily, 2010]

We need about 1 liter of water to produce 1 final Kcal [Molden et al,

2007].

At production level, Horticultural crops require less water than staple

food crops per kilo: 150 l of water to produce 1kg tomatoes, 1000 l for

pulses and 1500 l for cereals [Chapagain and al, 2008]

On an average, to feed himself a human being consumes 1240 m3

(USA=2480 m3, China=700m3) [Hoekstra et Chapagain, 2006]

A «western » consumer uses 4000 l/day

A vegetarian = 1500 l/day [FAO, 2003]


10 Kcal 1 Kcal

Food energy used in the Food system in France

In 1975 (CNEEMA)

Thirty years later… (Solagro)

20 Kcal 1 Kcal


Do we really need a complex Food System?

Field Transport Storage Processing Transport Supermarket Transport Storage Cooking

Only 10 plants (corn, wheat, rice, potatoes, cassava, soybean, palm nuts, sugar cane, tomatoes and bananas) and 3 animal products (cow's milk, meat pork and poultry) assured about ¾ of food supply in volume in 2009.

Complex Food System alter nutrients

At production stage, genetics influence nutrient content more than

production methods.

Ex: tomatoes -> the vitamin C content of different varieties grown in

same conditions can vary from 8.3 to 32.6 mg/100g. For a single variety,

the vitamin C content of fruits placed in different conditions ranges from

26.2 to 32.2 mg/100g.

At the logistics stage, the longer the product is stored at high

temperature or low temperature, the less vitamin C will remain.

Ex: tomatoes, losses reach 50% after 8 days at 25°C and 40% after 16

days at 4°C [Sablani et al., 2006].


At the industrial processing stage, peeling highly affects nutrients.

Ex: tomatoes, the skin and seeds contribute on average 53% of all

polyphenols, including 52% of flavonoids, 48% of lycopene and 43% of

ascorbic acid [Toor and Savage, 2005].

We must reduce food losses and waste

FAO, 2011


Should we replace animal products with vegetable products?

Should we chose organic or conventional food ?

In season or out of season production ?

Local food or imported food?

Short or long food supply chains?

How can we assure a Sustainable Food System ?


1- Animal products or vegetable products?

Livestock

- is responsible for 18% of GHG emissions (>transport)

- uses 78% of agricultural surface and pastureland and 38% of

cultivated surface

- 8% of the whole world’s water consumption

[Livestock’s long shadow; FAO, 2006]

BUT:

Fruit and vegetables produced at 600 Km from the sale point have a

higher environmental impact than locally produced and consumed

milk [Wallon et al., 2004]


Freyer, 2008

2- Organic products or conventional products ?

GHG emissions by group of Foods and recommended levels (organic and

conventional products)


3 - In season products or products throughout the year?

Imported food

Energetic cost of green beans from Kenya and UK (Production +

packaging + transport to supermarket [Blanke, Burdick, 2005] =

4,7 to 5,3 MJ/Kg for UK products

62,5 to 63,5 MJ/Kg for Kenyan products

BUT: What about local Products grown in greenhouses?

Greenhouse vegetables = more pollution and much more energy

than open field vegetables : CO2 emissions are 4 times higher

[Jungbluth N., Faist Emmenegger M. 2004]

A German study showed that in winter it makes more sense to import

salad from Spain than to produce it locally in greenhouses as energy

consumption and the carbon footprint for the latter are twice as high

as the former [Müller-Lindenlauf et Reinhardt, 2010].


4- Local Products or imported products ?

- A local product is not necessarily preferable [Schlich and

Fleissner, 2005]

- Mass transport, even over long distances, can offer ecological

advantages?

- High level of natural resources depletion (such as heated

greenhouses to produce vegetables and cold storage for fruit)

- Moreover local products have to integrate the industrial supply

chains

- It is important not to confuse sustainable with local, alternative,

speciality, traditional product [Ilbery et Maye, 2005].


5 - Short or long supply chains?

It may have environmental, economic and social advantages of

short supply chains

BUT :

A sustainable Food System is linked

-To organization of the logistics

-To the production methods (more than transport)

Difficult to conclude whether short supply chains are always

preferable to long supply chains


Conclusion


Beyond nutrition education, which often bear the responsibility for

the situation in the sole consumer, it's time to rethink the food

systems. Acting on different levels of food chain can improve the

availability and nutritional density of the products.

Further research is needed to contextualize and to inform decision-

makers.

Documents

Martine Padilla CIHEAM-IAMM/UMR MOISA€¦ · Western diet 4000 m2 Mainly meat diet 7000 m2 Have we enough space? On the total surface, 12 billion ha (/51 billion of soil and water)