• The food industry contributes significantly to the damage to the ecosystem, often putting enormous pressure on its biocapacity.
Biocapacity it is the quality of an area to support human life through the production of food and fuel from the land, as well as the amount of waste it can effectively absorb. According to a recent magazine study nature food, which analyzed a period between 2004 and 2014, the 27 EU countries exceeded their biocapacity. This is largely driven by the food industry.
The study, published at the end of September 2023, analyzes the ability of each member state to meet the demands of its citizens, and the results are not at all encouraging. Food accounted for between 28% and 31% of the ecological footprint measured over the course of the study, requiring more than half of the land's biocapacity. This was the largest component of the ecological footprint, with a significant value, followed by personal transport (21-22%).
Large ecological footprint
Per capita, the largest food footprint (ecological footprint food only) by 2014, the year the study ended, was in Luxembourg, while the lowest was in Ireland.
The foods that contribute the most to the ecological footprint are meat, fish, seafood, bread and grains. These foods make up 49% of the average EU resident's food footprint, despite only accounting for 27% of the 860kg of food available to the average person (as of 2014).
Beef was a priority, even over other types of meat. Studies suggest that halving beef consumption and partially replacing it with poultry or pork could lead to a 6% reduction in food footprint, or 7% if replaced with beans and legumes.
Of course, because of different consumption habits, food represents a different proportion of the global ecological footprint in each of the different countries studied. The type of food a country eats also influences its ecological footprint.
Countries with a larger food supply generally tend to have a larger ecological footprint. However, the ecological footprint is also influenced by the diet (for example, in Malta, food consumption is represented by a higher percentage of vegetables than average, so that even with a high food supply, this country has a footprint relatively low ecological).
Not only food consumption, but also food waste contributes to a country's food footprint. France had the largest waste-related food footprint, with 135 kg of food waste per capita each year, well above the EU average of 113 kg.
The impact of globalization
The study found that globalization also plays a critical role in each nation's food footprint. Much of the food footprint of the 27 countries is based on biocapacity from other countries, effectively imported through international trade.
However, a large proportion of these imports took place within the borders of the 27 EU countries, with 74% of imported biocapacity coming from other EU countries in 2004 and 76% in 2014. Only about a quarter of this imported biocapacity comes from outside the EU.
Many EU member countries, such as Romania, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, have an average international food footprint below 40%. In most EU countries, between 40% and 80% of the food footprint comes from external sources. Several EU countries, such as Malta, Luxembourg and Belgium, have an international food footprint of more than 80%.
Signs of progress
During the period studied, some levels of progress were recorded. For example, the average ecological footprint of an EU citizen fell by 20% between 2004 and 2014, and most countries reduced the per capita food footprint of their residents.
Part of the food progress can be attributed to the decline in total meat consumption across the EU, for which red meat was solely responsible (white meat consumption actually increased).
The tendency to reduce the food footprint is mainly felt in Eastern European countries. The study suggests that this is related to their integration into EU trade.
However, food remains the most important factor exceeding biocapacity in the studied period.
The future of biocapacity
The report suggests that biocapacity is being exceeded because resources in member countries are overused, as are our global commons (international resource domains). In addition, the level of imported biocapacity is higher than that exported, which limits the strategic autonomy of the EU.
Although a snapshot of past years, awareness of the role of food in the EU's ecological footprint is important, the study suggests, because of the strategy's potential "Farm to Fork", if properly implemented.
The European Union intends to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the region by 2050, and as outlined in the Strategy "Green Deal" and "Farm to Fork", food systems are central to this transition.
However, due to significant sourcing from outside the EU, changing domestic food policy will not be sufficient to achieve carbon targets. The study suggests that the EU also needs to change its procurement practices.
Source: "The ecological footprint of the EU-27 was mainly driven by food consumption and exceeded regional biocapacity between 2004 and 2014", study published on September 14, 2023, in the journal nature food.
Article written by Gabriela Dan, Editor of Arta Albă
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