The environmental impact of food can be confusing. The most useful shortcut is to ask: "Does it require a lot of land?" Many people are confused by the impact of food and there are so many dilemmas and issues: meat vs plants, local, seasonal, organic, etc. The problem is that most of the impact of food is hidden. 71% of food emissions come from growing food, not transport, packaging, or consumption. And that's why land use is the most important indicator. For example... 🍌 Banana: Hundreds of bananas grow on a single tree ➡️ little land use ➡️ low footprint (despite long transport) 🥒 Cucumber wrapped in plastic: Many cucumbers grow on a small plant ➡️ little land use ➡️ low footprint (despite plastic packaging) 🥩 Beef: requires a lot of grass to feed the cows ➡️ high land use ➡️ high footprint (even if it's local) 🥓 Pork: requires a lot of corn & soy to feed the pigs ➡️ high land use ➡️ high footprint If something requires a lot of land it means that we have less nature. In the most extreme case, it causes deforestation. If something requires a lot of land it usually also needs more of something else. For example, to feed pigs you need corn and that not only requires land but also fertilizer, pesticides, and water. Now for some counter-arguments: "...BUT bananas come by airplane!" No they don't. They come by boat, and per kg product, this has a very low footprint (see a different video in the comments). "...BUT cows eat grass that humans can't eat" 1) The number one cause of deforestation is to make space for pasture. 2) Most grasslands for cows are monocultures and cannot be counted as nature. This releases CO2. 3) There is also an opportunity cost: that grassland could be forest (or wild grassland). 4) And cows burp methane (which is not offset by carbon sequestration from grazing). What do you think? Is this a useful question? Does it help you? Source: Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser (2019) - “Land Use” Published online at OurWorldInData #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Food miles: the most useless way to measure the impact of food. There, I said it. 🙊 Here are the facts: 📦 Transport only causes 4.8% of all greenhouse gases from food 🚚 Most of those emissions happen during local/regional road transport 🚢 Shipping covers the largest distances but only causes 0.17% of all food emissions ➡️ Paying attention to where your food comes from doesn’t reduce the carbon footprint. Here’s a good rule of thumb: think of how much space was necessary to grow that food, not how far it had to travel. 🥥 Coconut milk: one palm tree → low impact 🥩 Beef: fields of grass (and maybe even corn) to feed a cow → high impact So if your plant-based recipe includes coconut milk from across the world, that’s okay. People don’t like hearing this… There are still benefits for promoting a *local food system*: - more transparency - more connection to our food and landscape - more local crops and higher biodiversity But once you enter the supermarket, you’re already part of the global food system. In that context, paying attention to food miles is useless. I think this is good news, because it makes sustainable food choices simpler: make animal foods a luxury and don’t worry so much about all the other stuff. What do you think? And what does it make you feel? 😉 Sources: Crippa, M., Solazzo, E., Guizzardi, D., Monforti-Ferrario, F., Tubiello, F. N., & Leip, A. J. N. F. (2021). Food systems are responsible for a third of global anthropogenic GHG emissions. Nature Food, 2(3), 198-209. Hannah Ritchie (2020) - “Very little of global food is transported by air; this greatly reduces the climate benefits of eating local” Published online on Our World In Data
Is eating seasonally better for the climate? Yes, but it's complicated. Let me explain: Products from a heated greenhouse have a much higher carbon footprint. This is true for green beans and other products like spinach and tomatoes. Not buying them in winter, or choosing the frozen option, is definitely a better option. BUT... Vegetables contribute only 4% to the carbon footprint of the average EU diet. So even if you reduce emissions, it's only a small part. 83% of the emissions come from meat and dairy. So first eat more vegetables and less meat. Then buy more seasonal vegetables. The other thing about seasonal food is that it just feels good and it has many other benefits (see our blog post about it). This is why we created our seasonal calendar for Northwestern Europe (Netherlands, UK, Germany, Belgium). It shows you when spinach is in season, and also provides 4 seasonal recipes for each month. You can learn more on the Fork Ranger website. --- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 📱 If you want to get more facts about the impact of our food (and recipes), download the Fork Ranger app in the Google Play or App Store. Source: Broekema, R., & Blonk, H. (2010). Milieueffecten van sperziebonen en spinazie. Gouda: Blonk Milieu Advies in opdracht van de Consumentenbond. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
The carbon footprint of the EU diet: Meat & dairy cause 83% of the emissions. Fruits and vegetables only cover 4% of the emissions. So buying organic produce, getting it from a local farmer, or eating seasonally make no difference as long as we eat too many animal products. These numbers come from analyzing consumption, while a lot of policy is about food production. The reason why a consumption look is important: 25% of all diet emissions are not even caused in Europe, but in Latin America. One of the ways this happens is when farmers import soybeans as animal feed. Or when restaurants serve South American beef. Source: Sandström, V., Valin, H., Krisztin, T., Havlík, P., Herrero, M., & Kastner, T. (2018). The role of trade in the greenhouse gas footprints of EU diets. Global food security, 19, 48-55. Note: They actually left out fish in this research because the data is so variable and generally Europeans don't eat a lot of fish (except in Portugal, Spain, and Norway). #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Fact 1: All cows in the world are heavier than all humans* Fact 2: Beef and cheese have a very high carbon footprint. If you combine these facts you start to understand how beef causes by far the emissions in the food system. And why cow milk is the third biggest contributor to the climate impact of food. A field with cows might not look like a big impact but each of those cows requires 60 kg of food per day. And that requires a lot of space, about 1-3 football fields per year per cow. This is why worldwide, beef is also the number one cause of deforestation 🪓 We don’t have to get rid of all cows in the world but there is literally not enough space for everyone to eat the same amount of beef and dairy as Americans and Europeans currently do. If someone with the average Western diet replaces beef, it already reduces the carbon footprint of their food by 21% ⬇️ *Note: I should have phrased it differently in the video, the numbers are kg CARBON: "Biomass is reported in gigatons of carbon. Alternative options to represent biomass include, among others, biovolume, wet mass, or dry weight. We chose to use carbon mass as the measure of biomass because it is independent of water content and is used extensively in the literature." ---- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 📱 If you want to get more facts about the impact of our food (and recipes), download the Fork Ranger app in the Google Play or App Store. Source: Bar-On, Y. M., Phillips, R., & Milo, R. (2018). The biomass distribution on Earth. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(25), 6506-6511. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Is 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 always more sustainable? No. Is 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 good for the climate? Yes, but it's complicated... 1️⃣ Transport from far away only has a high carbon footprint if it's transported by air. So focusing on 'local' can be misleading. 2️⃣ Summer vegetables that are available in winter often come from heated greenhouses, which have a relatively high carbon footprint. 3️⃣ Freezing vegetables increases the carbon footprint by a tiny amount. So... the best choice is to eat seasonal vegetables. But the frozen option is also a great choice (especially for green beans). Now it's important to discuss one more aspect: Vegetables contribute only 4% to the carbon footprint of the average EU diet. 83% of the emissions come from meat and dairy. So first eat more vegetables and less meat. Then buy more seasonal vegetables. The other thing about seasonal food is that it just feels good and it has many other benefits (see our blog post about it). This is why we created our seasonal calendar for Northwestern Europe (Netherlands, UK, Germany, Belgium). It shows you when products is in season and also provides 4 seasonal recipes for each month. Source: Broekema, R., & Blonk, H. (2010). Milieueffecten van sperziebonen en spinazie. Gouda: Blonk Milieu Advies in opdracht van de Consumentenbond. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
In the Netherlands there's a huge shortage of spinach because of all the rain. Is frozen spinach a sustainable alternative? The short answer is yes. Frozen vegetables are a great option, both for sustainability and health. They often contain more nutrients and the carbon footprint is only slightly higher. Sometimes there's also less food waste. My favorite frozen options are green beans and peas. Of course for spinach, the frozen version is not quite the same as having fresh leaves... Moments like these - where a product is not available because of extreme weather - help us remember that we are dependant on nature for the most basic things. When you walk through the shelves of filled supermarkets it's easy to forget that a large part of our food production is under the mercy of the weather. I hope this spinach crisis will help some people to remember our connection to nature and the impact of climate change and more extreme weather. For me, this connection to nature is the best thing about eating seasonally. Eating with the seasons means accepting that you can't eat everything all year round. And in a world where we think that humans are in control, where we are used to getting everything we want at the click of a button, this is a refreshing feeling. Putting limits on yourself can bring a surprising amount of freedom. Have you experienced the same? Source: Broekema, R., & Blonk, H. (2010). Milieueffecten van sperziebonen en spinazie. Gouda: Blonk Milieu Advies in opdracht van de Consumentenbond. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Is eating seasonally better for the climate? Yes, but it's complicated. Let me explain: Products from a heated greenhouse have a much higher carbon footprint. This is true for spinach and other products like green beans and tomatoes. Not buying them in winter, or choosing the frozen option, is definitely a better option. BUT... Vegetables contribute only 4% to the carbon footprint of the average EU diet. So even if you reduce emissions, it's only a small part. 83% of the emissions come from meat and dairy. So first eat more vegetables and less meat. Then buy more seasonal vegetables. The other thing about seasonal food is that it just feels good and it has many other benefits (see our blog post about it). This is why we created our seasonal calendar for Northwestern Europe (Netherlands, UK, Germany, Belgium). It shows you when spinach is in season, and also provides 4 seasonal recipes for each month. You can learn more on the Fork Ranger website. ---- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 📱 If you want to get more facts about the impact of our food (and recipes), download the Fork Ranger app in the Google Play or App Store. Source: Broekema, R., & Blonk, H. (2010). Milieueffecten van sperziebonen en spinazie. Gouda: Blonk Milieu Advies in opdracht van de Consumentenbond. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
When I met Christian Reynolds, a researcher and expert on sustainable diets, he was quite a fan of the Fork Ranger book (best compliment I could wish for). But he had one critical remark: it contains a lot of oven recipes. He mentioned this because cooking food in the oven requires a lot more energy - and therefore CO2 - than cooking things in a pan. But how much should we worry about this? We looked for some research and found an interesting article where researchers analyzed different cooking methods for lots of different products. And guess who also worked on this article? Our friend Christian Reynolds! The interesting part is that they also showed the overall carbon footprint of each food. As you can see, pork has a much higher footprint than potatoes, regardless of how you cook it. So it’s not very useful to worry about the energy use of cooking when you still eat a lot of meat. But the less meat you eat, the bigger role of the oven becomes. Potatoes from the oven have twice the climate impact compared to frying them in the pan. So, should we stop using the oven? At Fork Ranger we try to look for the behavior changes that make the biggest impact, and where behavior change is necessary. For example, we cannot get to a sustainable world without some changes in what we eat and how often we buy new clothes. But for ovens we can say that at some point, the energy for the oven will be renewable. So behavior change is a less critical factor to get to a sustainable level. That doesn’t give us the excuse to ignore the high energy use of the oven. But it’s not very useful for the average citizen to feel guilty about it. Overall, it’s the amount of animal products in your diet that determines the environmental impact of your food. Personally I mostly cook without the oven, but I have to be honest that it’s because oven recipes usually take longer… 🙂 Source: Reynolds et al. (2020). Impacts of home cooking methods and appliances on the GHG emissions of food. Nature Food, 1(12), 787-791. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
You probably underestimate how much healthier whole grain is ☠️ A diet low in whole grains causes more premature deaths than traffic accidents, homicides, terrorism, and war COMBINED! Not eating enough whole grains is the biggest cause of diet-related health issues (together with a diet high in salt, followed by not eating enough fruit). Unfortunately, most of our grains (bread, rice, pasta) are refined. That means the bran (outer layer) and germ have been removed. This makes it easier to chew but also removes most of the nutrition. This not only makes refined grains unhealthy but it's also a form of food waste. A Swedish bakery calculated that they can make 32 loaves of bread with 10kg whole grain flour. But when you mill it to get refined flour you only get 23 loaves of bread. Which means you need more land to make the same amount of bread. Given the importance of whole-grain, it feels criminal how hard it is to find whole-grain bread in the average supermarket. It almost feels like a conspiracy. Why are we not talking about this?!? How often do you choose whole grains? Do you find it easy to do so? The only way to make sure a product is whole-grain is to check the ingredients list on the back and find the word ‘whole-grain’. Ingredients are listed according to the quantity. So for a product like bread, ‘whole-grain’ should be the first word. Sources: FoodData Central (USDA) Afshin, A., Sur, P. J., Fay, K. A., Cornaby, L., Ferrara, G., Salama, J. S., ... & Murray, C. J. (2019). Health effects of dietary risks in 195 countries, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. The lancet, 393(10184), 1958-1972. Max Roser (2021) - “Causes of death globally: what do people die from?” Published online at OurWorldInData #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
What to put on a sandwich instead of cheese? We answered that question in our new Lunch eBook! The fact that cheese has a higher footprint than pork and chicken is probably the biggest shock when people start to learn more about sustainable food… It was for me as well! Cooking without cheese can be a challenge but at least there are lots of curries. But what the heck are you supposed to put on a sandwich if you want to skip cheese and meat? In our lunch eBook we look at some *really* simple alternatives. The Lunch Box Collection is a guide for a sustainable & healthy lunch with 20 simple ideas for sandwiches, homemade spreads, and super quick meals. It also includes: 🌎 The impact of lunch compared to dinner 🌾 A shocking story about whole grain (we were really surprised as well) 💪 What matters most for a healthy lunch 🧈 Butter vs Margarine … and more This week is the ‘Week without meat and dairy’ in the Netherlands and for that we’re offering the eBook for 5€ instead of 8€ (but only this week!) You can buy it on our website at forkranger.com #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Milk in Europe: this is what it’s used for. In the average Western diet, the consumption of all dairy products has a higher carbon footprint than the total consumption of pork 🤯 That has two reasons: 1) We eat a lot of dairy: yogurt for breakfast, cheese for lunch, cream for cooking, and maybe some ice cream for dessert. 2) Cheese and butter have a higher carbon footprint per kg than pork and chicken. The bad news for vegetarians is that dairy products also have a high impact. The good news for meat lovers is that *less* meat and dairy is more effective than only focusing on *never* eating meat again 🙃 Source: Source: Eurostat. 29 January 2018. Further information on https://ec.europa.eu/!Pt83ND #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants #milk
What is the most underrated sustainable food action? Perhaps it's choosing whole grain. It's not only MUCH healthier but also more sustainable. The Swedish baker Lantmännen explains that milling the whole grain removes the bran and germ (which contain most of the nutrition). That means they only use 75-80% of the original grain. But when they make whole grain flour they use 100% of the grain. The brand and germ are often used as animal feed and labeled as 'by-products'. But really it's a form of food waste. Whole grain bread requiers less flour --> less land --> lower climate impact. As if the climate impact of refined grain isn't bad enough already: a diet low in whole grains causes more premature deaths than traffic accidents, homicides, terrorism, and war COMBINED! Not eating enough whole grains is the biggest cause of diet-related health issues (together with a diet high in salt, followed by not eating enough fruit). Unfortunately, most of our grains (bread, rice, pasta) are refined. The only way to make sure a product is whole-grain is to check the ingredients list on the back and find the word ‘whole-grain’. Ingredients are listed according to the quantity. So for a product like bread, ‘whole-grain’ should be the first word. Tag someone who needs to know this (ahem, policymakers...) --- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 📱 If you want to get more facts about the impact of our food (and recipes), download the Fork Ranger app in the Google Play or App Store. Sources: Lantmannen Unibake website Boston Consulting Group. The Whole Truth About Whole Grains March 20, 2024. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Every minute, 12 football fields of forest are cut down or burned 🪓🔥 Almost all of it is rainforest. The good news is that it's less than 10-20 years ago! The rate of deforestation has slowed down but it’s obviously still a huge problem. Our World in Data has a fantastic article on this topic: three-quarters of all deforestation is driven by agriculture. And there is one product that sticks out: beef. The second biggest cause of deforestation is soy and palm oil. Soy: 77% of all soy is used as animal feed, most of it for pigs and chickens. So actually, a large part of this deforestation is also related to meat. Palm oil: This is a complicated one. It’s almost impossible to avoid palm oil and replacing it with other oils would cause even more deforestation (check out our blog for more about this topic). What I find the most useful tip: eat less ultra-processed foods because that's where palm oil is used. ----- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 📱 If you want to see more infographics about sustainable food, download the free Fork Ranger app in the Google Play or App Store. 🏔 I'm currently on vacation so it might take a bit longer than usual to respond to comments and messages. ---- Source: Pendrill, F., Persson, U. M., Godar, J., & Kastner, T. (2019). Deforestation displaced: trade in forest-risk commodities and the prospects for a global forest transition. Environmental Research Letters, 14(5), 055003. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
This is why your food waste matters. Of all the food that is produced in the world, about one-third is never eaten. More food waste ➡️ More food production ➡️ More land use, more pesticides, etc. ➡️ More climate change That is why reducing food waste is one of the top solutions for climate change! But where do we start? There are two important facts considering North America and Europe: 1) More food is wasted than anywhere else 2) Most of the food waste happens at consumption level For me there is one big conclusion: we no longer value our food as much as we should. It’s not always possible to avoid food waste. But we can each do our part in valuing food as one of the things in life that really matter! #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #foodwastetip #foodwastesolution #stopfoodwaste
Is eating seasonally better for the climate? Yes, but it's complicated. Let me explain: Products from a heated greenhouse have a much higher carbon footprint. This is true for tomatoes and other products like green beans. Buying a local and seasonal tomato is definitely a better option. BUT... Vegetables contribute only 4% to the carbon footprint of the average EU diet. So even if you reduce emissions, it's only a small part. 83% of the emissions come from meat and dairy. Of course 1kg of tomatoes and cheese have a very different nutritional value. But cooking with tomatoes sometimes helps to leave away the cheese/meat because tomatoes have an umami flavor. So first eat more vegetables and less meat. Then buy more seasonal vegetables. The other thing about seasonal food is that it just feels good and it has many other benefits (see our blog post about it). This is why we created our seasonal calendar for Northwestern Europe (Netherlands, UK, Germany, Belgium). It shows you when tomatoes is in season, and also provides 4 seasonal recipes for each month. You can learn more on the Fork Ranger website. --- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 📱 If you want to get more facts about the impact of our food (and recipes), download the Fork Ranger app in the Google Play or App Store. Source: Theurl, M. C., Haberl, H., Erb, K. H., & Lindenthal, T. (2014). Contrasted greenhouse gas emissions from local versus long-range tomato production. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 34, 593-602. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Farmers only get 14% of the money we spend on food 👩🏽🌾 While 78% goes to big corporations 🏢 That's the result of a study commissioned by Oxfam America (Ripe for change, 2018). We were especially surprised by the high share for seed and fertilizer companies. Farmers in tropical countries are almost always underpaid by Western companies, which is why we need something like 'FairTrade'. But European and American farmers get squeezed as well. Because of this unequal distribution, paying farmers a fair amount wouldn’t increase the end price of many products that much. With Fork Ranger we always try to show what you can do as an individual. In this case: - Pressure supermarkets and brands to pay fair wages - Buy your groceries at local food stores (at least from time to time) That last part is relevant because local food projects often promote more transparent and 'human' supply chains. I talked about this in our podcast episode with Maarten Bouten from Rechtstreex (it's in Dutch, check 'Het Leven van een Fork Ranger'). If you want to learn more about the food system and what you can do about it: download our free app. Search 'Fork Ranger' in the app store or Google Play store. ----- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
3 people replacing beef saves as much CO2 as 1 person going vegan 👀 I'm not saying that to discredit the effect of veganism but to illustrate the power of: 1) replacing beef 2) focusing on the social aspect Once you start eating less meat and dairy, the best next step is to inspire others to do the same. Encouraging your whole family or friend group to reduce their beef consumption has a far greater impact than stressing about the most sustainable cucumber or avocado. At Fork Ranger, we try to avoid obsessing over every little food choice. Instead, we want to use our eating habits to drive broader systemic change. And the most impactful action you can take for a more sustainable food system is to reduce beef consumption. I'm continually amazed by how much more impactful this is compared to reducing chicken or pork. And yes, I know this is carbon tunnel vision. There are more issues than CO2. But climate impact is a good proxy for the environmental sustainability of food choices. How does this video make you feel? 😅 --- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 📱 If you want to get more facts about the impact of our food (and recipes), download the Fork Ranger app in the Google Play or App Store. Source: Aleksandrowicz, L., Green, R., Joy, E. J., Smith, P., & Haines, A. (2016). The impacts of dietary change on greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use, and health: a systematic review. PloS one, 11(11), e0165797. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
One reason why making sustainable food choices is so complicated is because most of the impact of food is hidden: At the supermarket you can see the packaging and maybe where it’s from. But both packaging and transport only play a small part in the impact of food. What we don’t see is how much land, water, and energy was required to grow that food. The top 3 sources of food emissions: 🌳 Land use ⚡️Fertilizer 🐮 Methane burps from cows and sheep The easiest way to reduce all three of those is to eat less meat and dairy. Animal products require A LOT more land because we first have to feed the animals instead of using that land to grow food for humans. Fertilizer use is also much higher for animal products because - again - you first have to grow corn and soy to feed to animals. If you want to get more facts about the impact of our food (and recipes), you can the book on our website (now also available as e-book). Also a shoutout to Babette Porcelijn whose book 'The hidden impact' first made me aware of this. She commissioned the research that I show in this graph. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Would you rather give up beef or never have a Christmas tree again? For most people, both are a sacrifice for a more sustainable world. But one makes a massive difference and the other one not so much. (Let's keep in mind that 'giving up' is the extreme option, you can also just eat less) It's always fun to compare the carbon footprint to other things, just to get a sense of perspective. That doesn't mean a Christmas tree is sustainable but I think it's good to know which actions make a big difference. And which don't. The daily life version of a Christmas tree might be buying flowers: you’re also cutting down a plant to then slowly die in your living room. But unless you’re buying new roses every week, the total footprint of buying flowers over a whole year is relatively low compared to the food you eat every day. At the same time, I don't want to ridicule the people who have done their best to look for more sustainable alternatives. It's always a fine balance: pointing out what makes the biggest difference while not ridiculing the efforts people make on the 'small' things. What do you think? #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants #christmas #christmastree
There are a lot of corn and wheat fields in Europe 🌽 The majority of them are used for meat and dairy production. I find it insane that only 23% of all the cereals we produce are for direct human consumption. Almost two-thirds of all cereals are used for meat and dairy production. — 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join the exploration for a sustainable version of ‚The Good Life‘. 📊 If you want more facts like this, download the Fork Ranger app for iPhone or sign up for our Android waiting list on the website. Source: The European Feed Manufacturers’ Federation, Feed & Food 2021. #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Calling all journalists: if you write an article about eating less meat, please don't use pictures of raw broccoli and salads 🥗❌ That way you're reinforcing a negative stereotype and slowing down an important climate solution. Eating less meat (and dairy) is one of the most effective climate solutions. One of the main barriers to reducing meat is that people cannot imagine what the alternative looks like. If you take a typical Dutch or German meal and you remove the meat, there's not much left. I wouldn't want to eat that either. Cooking without meat is not difficult but it requires a new way of cooking. So we need to help people to experience how delicious it can be: Fewer salads (on menus and in articles) and more curries and pastas where nobody would miss the meat. Tag a journalist in the comments so we can stop the use of raw broccoli and salads :) If you are a journalist: let's connect! My email is frank@forkranger.com #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
🤯 Eating one leftover slice of bread, saves 10 liters of water and a land area the size of an A4 piece of paper! Food waste is a huge problem and I wanted to know what I should do. What’s the one action or product to focus on as an individual? My research led me to bread: 🌾 Grains are the most wasted food in terms of calories 🏠 In the West, most bread waste happens in households 😒 We often throw bread away not because it’s moldy, but because it’s stale and less tasty 🗑 People who eat bread heels/crusts waste less food in general That is why I decided to focus on bread, specifically on bread heels or crusts. And when I calculated the impact I was surprised at how much land and water goes into one bread slice. Eating leftover bread is not only about saving land and water. It’s also a symbolic act to appreciate our food more. Eating leftover bread can be starting point for tackling food waste because we need a change of perspective. It’s about valuing everything that goes into food production and acknowledging that food is too valuable to be wasted. Source: Calculations for 38 g of bread with numbers from Poore, J., & Nemecek, T. (2018). Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science, 360(6392), 987-992.
Here is why bread should be your focus when it comes to reducing food waste: 🌾 Grains are the most wasted food in terms of calories 🏠 In the West, most bread waste happens in households 😒 We often throw bread away not because it’s moldy, but because it’s stale and less tasty 🗑 People who eat bread heels/crusts waste less food in general Eating leftover bread is not only about saving land and water. It’s also a symbolic act to appreciate our food more. Eating leftover bread can be starting point for tackling food waste because we need a change of perspective. It’s about valuing everything that goes into food production and acknowledging that food is too valuable to be wasted. To remember that food is one of our first basic needs. Sources: Barabosz, J. (2011). Konsumverhalten und Entstehung von Lebensmittelabfällen in Musterhaushalten. Stuttgart. WRAP & WWF-UK (World Wide Fund for Nature – UK) (2011) The Water and Carbon Footprint of Household Food and Drink Waste in the UK. WRAP: Banbury. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Switching to induction makes a small difference compared to eating less meat and dairy. The way we eat causes emissions in many different ways. One of those is the energy we use at home for cooking. Maybe you know a person who always does their best to use as little energy as possible: small flame, lid on the pan, and switching to induction. Don’t get us wrong, these are good things. But the focus for individuals should be on *what* we eat, not how we prepare it. The difference between cooking on gas and cooking on induction is disappointingly small. One reason is that a lot of our electricity still comes from fossil fuels. But even if it was perfectly renewable, you could save a max of 75 kg CO2. That’s the same as drinking 326 cappuccinos (two-thirds of that impact comes from the milk). It’s still a good step to get induction because, at some point, we definitely have to stop using all gas. But don’t feel too bad if you don’t have that option. The most important action for individuals is to eat less meat and dairy. Like drinking your cappuccino with oat milk 😉 Dutch diet footprint: Sandström, V., Valin, H., Krisztin, T., Havlík, P., Herrero, M., & Kastner, T. (2018). The role of trade in the greenhouse gas footprints of EU diets. Global food security, 19, 48-55. | Induction vs Gas: https://www.milieucentraal.nl/energie-besparen/apparaten-in-huis/inductie-kookplaat/ #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Vitamin B12 is the only nutrient you can only get from animal foods (generally). So we thought, what if we compare the climate impact of various foods based on their amount of B12? All of these options in the infographic provide 1.4 mg of vitamin B12, half of the daily requirement. It takes very different portion sizes to reach that amount. 🥓 Pork has very little B12 so it takes 350 g. 🍣 It takes ten times less salmon (35 g) to get the same amount of B12. 🥩 It also doesn’t take a lot of beef (65 g) to reach 1.4 mg B12 but the footprint of that is ten times higher than the piece of salmon. Before you go out and buy a bunch of salmon: it is not a very sustainable fish because salmon are carnivores. It’s more sustainable to eat smaller fish like herring. And it turns out that herring has even more vitamin B12! Of course this infographic doesn’t give you a complete picture of a healthy diet. But it does reinforce the overall conclusion when it comes to the environmental impact of food: the most important step is reducing red meat, especially beef. Good to know: a lot of plant-based is also fortified with vitamin B12 and it’s also easy to get a supplement (which is what I personally do at the moment). #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
It often feels like society is divided over climate change. But opinions are not split 50/50. It only feels that way because the extremes are the loudest and the media portrays it that way. There was a study in the US that asked people the following question: How many people do you think are worried about climate change? People then had to estimate the percentage and the average answer 42%. But the actual number of people who are worried is 67%! So in other words, the actual number of people that care about the climate is a third higher than people think. They also asked people about their support for climate policies. The title of the paper says it all: “Americans experience a false social reality by underestimating popular climate policy support by nearly half”. This is a phenomenon that doesn’t just happen in the US but across the world: on average 86% think that people in their country “should try to fight global warming” (see the article 'More people care about climate change than you think' on Our World in Data). The fact that over half of the US voted for someone who doesn’t want to take climate action still doesn’t mean that those voters don’t care about the climate. So don’t be afraid to speak up and take action. And focus on the actions that make you AND your environment healthier (aka 'Hobbit actions' that I wrote about yesterday). More people care than you think! Talking about it with family and friends is an important way to show people that being part of the climate movement is not radical but sensible. Source: Sparkman, G., Geiger, N., & Weber, E. U. (2022). Americans experience a false social reality by underestimating popular climate policy support by nearly half. Nature communications, 13(1), 4779. #climateactionnow #climateaction
I'm always surprised how many people in the sustainability bubble have never heard of Project Drawdown. It's a fantastic resource for a simple reason: Instead of showing the problems, they show the solutions. They've calculated how much CO2e we could save with windmills, electric cars, plant-rich diets, etc. When you go through the list, the solutions not only become a lot more realistic but also hopeful. Some solutions are typical technological innovations, like the management of refrigerants or windmills. But others are very human and simply create a more beautiful world: - Family Planning and Education - Tropical Forest Restoration - Abandoned Farmland Restoration - Walkable Cities - Bicycle Infrastructure When I first came across Drawdown I was really surprised by the large impact of food. Food causes 1/3 of all emissions and there are a lot of things we can do to reduce that, despite the fact that people need to eat and that the world population is growing. Check out the website by searching 'Project Drawdown'. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants #foodwastetip #foodwastesolution #stopfoodwaste
42% of Dutch people are willing to eat less meat. Only 9% do it. That reminds of this quote from Ghandi: "The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems." We have all the solutions, we just need to take more action. One study suggest that in order to change the status quo, you only need 25% of the population. If that group demands change, the rest will follow. 25% is not a small number but it’s a lot less than the majority. And even with a heated topic like eating less meat, almost half of the Netherlands is willing! Point 1: there are more people who care about the climate than you think. Point 2: sometimes people WANT to change but are stuck in old habits. The chances are high that you have a friend or family member who falls into that category of 42%. Maybe all they need is that you send them your favorite recipes, invite them for dinner, or send them the Fork Ranger app 😉 Source: Koch, J. & Vringer, K. (2023, Apr. 6). Hoe 'circulair' zijn Nederlandse consumenten? Planbureau voor Leefomgeving. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
With Fork Ranger we mostly reach people who are already interested in sustainable food. But we've learned that our task can be to empower them so that they can spread it to their friends and family. And of course, gifts are a perfect way to do that 🎁 But we also noticed that people are sometimes hesitant to give the book as a gift, because they’re afraid it’s too ‘pushy’. If you have experienced this, please tell us. So far we’ve only received positive reviews! Buying the book as a gift is the best way to support our work 💚 We also understand if you’re not a fan of buying material gifts. We definitely have mixed feelings about contributing to the consumerism of Christmas. But if the carbon footprint of a book is the only thing that keeps you from ordering, it’s important to keep in mind this fact: only cooking one recipe from the book already saves more CO2 than it cost the make the book. The calculations are on the product page. Link to the book is on profile! #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
3 people replacing beef saves as much CO2e as 1 person going vegan 👀 I'm not saying that to discredit the effect of plant-based eating but to illustrate the power of: 1) replacing beef 2) focusing on the social aspect Once you start eating less meat and dairy, the best next step is to inspire others to do the same. Encouraging your whole family or friend group to reduce their beef consumption has a far greater impact than stressing about the most sustainable cucumber or avocado. At Fork Ranger, we try to avoid obsessing over every little food choice. Instead, we want to use our eating habits to drive broader systemic change. There are a few climate solutions that we can ONLY achieve with behavior change and one of the biggest is switching to a more plant-rich diet. And the most impactful action of all food choices is to reduce beef consumption. I'm continually amazed by how much more impactful this is compared to reducing chicken or pork. How does this video make you feel? 😅 Source: Aleksandrowicz, L., Green, R., Joy, E. J., Smith, P., & Haines, A. (2016). The impacts of dietary change on greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use, and health: a systematic review. PloS one, 11(11), e0165797. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Legumes are a climate superfood: High in protein High in fiber Low carbon footprint Low water footprint Save fertilizer Help to store water in the soil Improve the soil So eat more beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas! #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
How many people care about the climate? More than you think! A few months ago there was a study that everyone should know about. They surveyed 130,000 people in 125 countries and found something that’s both encouraging and worrying: 🌍 86% endorse pro-climate social norms ✊ 89% demand intensified political action 💸 69% said they are willing to donate 1% of their income. ⚠️ But all these people think that only 43% of their fellow citizens are willing to do the same. In all 125 countries, people THINK that climate support is much lower than it really is. To solve this issue we need to speak up. This can be scary and tricky. Don’t try to convince someone but share your personal feelings and the things you’re already doing. Some ideas: - When you talk with someone about how crazy the weather is, mention climate change - When it’s election time, say that climate is a top priority for you - If you’re eating less meat, mention that you’re doing it for the climate - Be open about the struggle: for example, I sometimes have to admit that taking the train is a hassle compared to flying or driving but that I'm still committed to it and see the benefits as well What are some ways that have worked for you? Source: Andre, P., Boneva, T., Chopra, F., & Falk, A. (2024). Globally representative evidence on the actual and perceived support for climate action. Nature Climate Change, 1-7.
🤯 Eating one leftover slice of bread, saves 10 liters of water and a land area the size of an A4 piece of paper! Food waste is a huge problem and I wanted to know what I should do. What’s the one action or product to focus on as an individual? My research led me to bread: 🌾 Grains are the most wasted food in terms of calories 🏠 In the West, most bread waste happens in households 😒 We often throw bread away not because it’s moldy, but because it’s stale and less tasty 🗑 People who eat bread heels/crusts waste less food in general That is why I decided to focus on bread, specifically on bread heels or crusts. And when I calculated the impact I was surprised at how much land and water goes into one bread slice. Eating leftover bread is not only about saving land and water. It’s also a symbolic act to appreciate our food more. Eating leftover bread can be starting point for tackling food waste because we need a change of perspective. It’s about valuing everything that goes into food production and acknowledging that food is too valuable to be wasted. Source: Calculations for 38 g of bread with numbers from Poore, J., & Nemecek, T. (2018). Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science, 360(6392), 987-992. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants #foodwastetip #foodwastesolution #stopfoodwaste
The no. 1 climate solution? Food waste. Cutting food waste in half would save the same amount of CO2e as all of these solutions combined: 🥤 Recycled plastics: 25% is recycled (0.52 Gt) 🚘 Hybrid cars: 8% of all passenger km (1.61 Gt) 📹 Online meetings: replacing 21% of all business flights (2.64 Gt) ✈️ Efficient airplanes: fuel burn improves 13% (5.29 Gt) ⚡️ Electric cars: 21% of all passenger km (7.66 Gt) 👯♀️ Carpooling: from 1.57 to 1.71 passengers per car (9.06 Gt) 🚌 Public transport: from 24% to 29% of urban passenger km (9.42 Gt) ♻️ Recycling: from 27% of household and commercial waste to 62% (10.36 Gt) 🏠 Insulation: increase from 30% to 66% of residential floor area (15.38 Gt) ☀️ Rooftop solar: increase from 0.7% to 14% of electricity generation (26.65 Gt) We need all these solutions but it's clear how important food waste is. The other thing that sticks out to me is how realistic all these solutions feel. This is totally doable! All of this comes from my favorite resource for climate solutions: Project Drawdown Also: the FAO also writes that reducing food waste by a quarter could end world hunger... In lower-income countries, most food is lost somewhere during production and storage. But in richer areas like Europe and the US, most food is wasted in our own kitchens. And that means all of us are part of the solution. This is why we created Leftover Legends, a dinner party game where you cook with leftover ingredients to score points. We have 1 day left on our crowdfunding campaign, so check it out on our website or through the link in the comments. And if you want to learn more surprising facts about sustainable food, download our free Fork Ranger app 📱 #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants #foodwastetip #foodwastesolution #stopfoodwaste
Sustainable kitchen hack: use leftover oil for cooking! I never knew what do with the leftover oil from things like sun-dried tomatoes because you’re not supposed to pour them down the drain (or toilet 😅). Now I save the glasses of oil and use it for cooking pasta dishes. 😋 You get extra flavor 💰 You save money (oil is expensive) 🗑 And you avoid food waste and do something for the climate because it costs a lot of land to create oil so we better use all of it. Is this a new idea for you or super obvious? What do you do with leftover oil? #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
It often feels like society is divided over climate change: one side is desperately trying to make people ‘wake up’ while the other group isn’t so sure climate change is even real. But opinions are not split 50/50. It only feels that way because the extremes are the loudest and the media often portrays it that way. And it's the angry people who leave comments on videos like this! (hello there) There was a study in the US that asked people the following question: How many people do you think are worried about climate change? People then had to estimate the percentage and the average answer 42%. But the actual number of people worried is 67%! So in other words, the actual number of people that care about the climate is a third higher than people think. They also asked people about their support for climate policies. The title of the paper says it all: “Americans experience a false social reality by underestimating popular climate policy support by nearly half” So don’t be afraid to speak up and take action. More people care than you think! Talking about it with family and friends is an important way to show people that being part of the climate movement is not radical but sensible. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants #climatechange
What most soy is used for (not what you think). Does soy cause deforestation? Yes. But what’s often not mentioned is that 77% of all soy is grown for animal feed. That means soy products are not causing deforestation. Meat is! Whether you look at what soy is used for or what the footprint of soy products is, the conclusion remains the same: eating soy products as a replacement for meat and dairy is a big win for the climate. Source: Our World in Data (https://ourworldindata.org/soy). Original data from Food Climate Research Network (FCRN), University of Oxford; and USDAPSD Database. #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Why eating leftover bread is the starting point for solving food waste: 1️⃣ When you measure food waste in calories, more than half of all waste is bread, rice, and pasta 🍞🍚 2️⃣ In Europe and the US, most waste (58%) happens at consumer level 3️⃣ The main reason we waste bread is not because we can’t eat it (moldy) but because we don’t *want* to eat it (stale) 4️⃣ People who eat their bread crusts/heels waste less food in general ➡️ If everyone values bread a little bit more and eats their bread crusts and leftovers, we reduce a major part of our food waste. But perhaps more importantly: we change our attitude towards food and re-learn that food is something priceless. The main reason for wasting bread is because we prefer a fresh loaf and we can financially afford to throw away the old one. But we can’t afford it from an environmental perspective. If we cut food waste in half across the world, it saves 10 times more emissions than if we turn one-third of all cars electric [Project Drawdown]. So, eat your old bread! This bread had been hiding in my kitchen for more than a week. It was very hard but better than expensive croutons! If you need an easy soup: - Saute 1 onion and 2 cloves of garlic. - Then add two zucchinis, cut into slices. - Add vegetable bouillon and cook for 10 minutes. - Puree and add lots of lemon juice. Voila! #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants #foodwastetip #foodwastesolution #stopfoodwaste #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods
Only 23% of all the cereals we produce in EU are for direct human consumption. Almost two-thirds of all cereals are used for meat and dairy production. This process is very inefficient. It would make a lot more sense to use all that land to grow food for humans directly (or give it back to nature). This is one reason why three quarters of all farmland is used to produce meat, eggs, and dairy, while these only provide 18% of all calories (and 38% of all protein). Animals can have a place in a sustainable farming system by eating leftover streams and non-intensive grazing (although we would have to eat much lower quantities in Western countries). What just doesn't make sense is using valuable cropland to grow corn for animals. — 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join the exploration for a sustainable version of The Good Life. 📊 If you want more facts like this, download the free Fork Ranger app. 🏔 I'm currently on vacation so it might take longer than usual until I respond to comments and messages -- Source: The European Feed Manufacturers’ Federation, Feed & Food 2021. Our World in Data: Half of the world’s habitable land is used for agriculture #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
I think one of the reasons why eating less meat is so hard is because our current consumption feels ‘normal’. But only 60 years ago, people ate a lot less meat. The EAT-Lancet report calculated what a healthy and sustainable diet would look like. Their advice for meat consumption is around 16 kg per year (see the dashed line). What would that look like PER WEEK? 🍗 1-2 chicken breasts (203 g) 🐟 1-2 fish filet (196 g) 🍔 1 hamburger (98 g) I found this surprising, it’s more than I thought. That just puts in perspective how much we currently eat in North- and South America and Europe. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Should you worry about soy? No. Worry about eating less meat and dairy. There are often two concerns I hear about eating soy. 1) Deforestation Tofu does not cause deforestation, animal feed does. 77% of the world's soy is used as animal feed. And rainforests in Brazil are cleared to make space for more soy feed plantations (as shown painfully in Planet Earth III). But the majority of soy for products like yoghurt or tofu are not grown in the Amazon but come from farms in Europe and Canada. 2) Health Maybe you’ve heard that soya contains dangerous levels of estrogen? This is a myth that comes from the fact that soy contains a similar compound, but at such low levels that it poses no risk. You can safely eat soy products multiple times a week, and doing so is probably even good for your health. Like always, the healthiest options are whole foods, in this case tempeh, tofu or edamame. Plant-based ‘meats’ are often made of soy. But let’s not pretend that eating a hamburger, whether plant-based or made of meat, was ever a healthy choice. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
What is the easiest climate action with the biggest impact? It’s a tricky balance: every little bit helps but we also need to focus our limited attention where it really matters. One of those areas is food. Eating less meat makes a big difference and we cannot make significant progress without behavior change. Becoming a vegetarian might be too big a step for many people but reducing red meat is relatively easy and already makes a big difference. Another one is switching to a sustainable bank: the money in your bank account is often used to invest in new fossil fuel projects (which is insane!!). Switching feels like a big deal but in reality you can do it within a few hours and never have to worry about it again. Other actions from the Earth Hero app that are relatively easy but make a big impact: 💬 Talk about climate ⛱ Holiday closer to home 🗳 Research and vote accordingly 🧑🔧 Maintain and repair your stuff Putting things in context and choosing priorities can help to stay a bit more relaxed. If you’re trying to do everything it can feel like it’s never good enough. What’s your take on this? Do you have a priority list for yourself? #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Sometimes it's easy to forget that drinks have a carbon footprint, too 👀 For all these drinks we also need land and fertilizer. And for one of them, we even need to feed a pretty big animal that burps a powerful greenhouse gas. The high footprint of milk is especially relevant in terms of food waste because of its short expiration date. In a study that looked at the carbon footprint of wasted food in UK homes, milk was the number one item on the list! I can already imagine the comments going on about 'nutrient density'. Yes, milk has more nutrients and protein than the other options. But when you add milk to a cappuccino, you're not doing it for the protein. This is more about comparing our drinking habits and how they add to the carbon footprint of food. With drinks, the most important factor is probably frequency: having a beer of wine once in a while is not a big deal. But drinking two daily cappuccinos with cow milk really adds up. ----- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 📱 If you want to get more facts about the impact of our food (and recipes), download the Fork Ranger app in the Google Play or App Store. ---- Source: The numbers respond to carbon footprint per 150 ml. For the coffee the number is for 10g coffee beans and 2 g of tea (so you get to a serving size of 150 ml) The study we used for this infographic only looked at the drink itself, not the packaging and transportation. Clark, M., Springmann, M., Rayner, M., Scarborough, P., Hill, J., Tilman, D., ... & Harrington, R. A. (2022). Estimating the environmental impacts of 57,000 food products. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(33), e2120584119. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Our food system causes 1/3 of all emissions. And the easiest way to reduce that impact is to eat less meat and dairy. A lot of people think that we should focus on reducing food miles. But all transport emissions make up only 5% of the impact of food. Packaging also is only around 5%. The majority of food emissions happen at the farm: land use, fertilizer, methane burps, soil degradation, etc. While these emissions happen AT the farm, the best way to reduce them is changing what we eat. Animal products have a high footprint because it takes a lot of land and fertilizer to grow all of their feed, whether it's corn or grass. (Plus some animals burp methane). What we put on our plates has a direct effect on the land around us. And in turn, that affects our climate. ---- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 📱 If you want to learn more facts like these, download the Fork Ranger app in the Google Play or App Store. Source: Crippa, M., Solazzo, E., Guizzardi, D., Monforti-Ferrario, F., Tubiello, F. N., & Leip, A. J. N. F. (2021). Food systems are responsible for a third of global anthropogenic GHG emissions. Nature Food, 2(3), 198-209. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Less meat = more flavor. When you cook with vegetables you cook with a lot more interesting flavors from spices and vegetables. Putting vegetables at the center of the plate instead of meat makes food healthier, more sustainable, and more delicious. The main problem is that meat lovers cannot imagine what leaving away the meat would look like. Cooking with veggies is not hard but it's very different from what people are used to. When I wanted to make the switch I could only find recipes that didn't feel like they were for me. They used 'weird' ingredients like tofu and always made things look more complicated. This is when I started working on the Fork Ranger book and creating 'vegetarian recipes for meat lovers'. The problem is that most recipes are created by foodies (why else would they create recipes). But these people have a completely different experience and skill with cooking than the average meat lover. So for Fork Ranger we create recipes with familiar ingredients and techniques in ways so you don't miss the meat: - enough protein - nice texture - umami flavor If you want to try the recipes, get the book on our website or download the free Fork Ranger app. PS: on Monday we're going to launch our newest project, a collection of lunch recipes (like sandwiches). Sign up for our newsletter if you don't want to miss that. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Stop peeling your apples! 🍎 When you peel apples or other fruits or veggies, you create more food waste than you think. The peel is full of fiber and lots of nutrients, which means that removing it is a form of food waste. And because it’s the outer layer with the biggest surface area, the skin makes up more of the apple than you would expect. In my case, the peel was 15% of the weight of the apple. So stop peeling your apples, saves both time and food waste! Of course, this also means that it’s better to buy organic fruits and veggies 😉 #foodwastetip #foodwastesolution #stopfoodwaste
ALL plant-based milks have a lower environmental footprint than cow milk. Oat milk scores the best on all factors. Soy milk scores best if you compare the environmental footprint not per liter but per gram of protein. The water footprint of almond milk is worse than cow milk, but it still scores a lot better on land use, CO2, eutrophication, and ecosystem damage. ---- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 📱 If you want to see more infographics about sustainable food, download the free Fork Ranger app in the Google Play or App Store. ---- Source: Geburt, K., Albrecht, E. H., Pointke, M., Pawelzik, E., Gerken, M., & Traulsen, I. (2022). A comparative analysis of plant-based milk alternatives part 2: environmental impacts. Sustainability, 14(14), 8424. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
We need to replace consumerism with a new version of 'The Good Life'. And that means we need to show people an exciting alternative. Only saying 'no' is not enough because consumerism is the water we're living in. Without a strong force against it we'll be swept along in the currents. We also need to find something to say 'YES' to. Not something rational like living in a fair and sustainable world. But something that touches the heart and appeals to our desires. This is what consumerism does: buy these shoes and feel like hero. Touching the heart with a strong alternative is really hard work. With this series of 'LESS / MORE' I'm searching for some of those alternatives but this also doesn't yet get to that deeper level. What are the best examples you've seen or heard of imagining the new good life? Please let me know if you find any! 🍝 This is the philosophy behind everything we do at Fork Ranger: it's not about getting to a perfectly sustainable diet but using our food as a force for good. Download our free app (called Fork Ranger) to get started #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
A French study showed that organic products decrease your carbon footprint. But there is a twist. Organic farming has lots of benefits, from animal welfare to biodiversity. But there is one downside: it requires a bit more land. So if we want to keep eating the same amount of meat, we would have to use even more land to grow the animal feed. The solution is eating less meat and dairy. This frees up lots of farmland we can then use for organic agriculture. One of the barriers with organic food is that it’s more expensive. If this also applies you, start with one or two products that you always buy organically. For me, this includes apples and pasta. I eat a lot of both and the organic version is often available and not extremely expensive. Read our blog post about organic agriculture if you want to know more. ----- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 📱 If you want to see more of these infographics, download the Fork Ranger app in the Google Play or App Store. 🎁 Looking for a sustainable gift? Maybe the Fork Ranger book or seasonal calendar is just what you're looking for (check our website) Source: Lacour, C., Seconda, L., Allès, B., Hercbera, S., Langevin, B., Pointereau, P., ... & Kesse-Guyot, E. (2018). Environmental impacts of plant-based diets: how does organic food consumption contribute to environmental sustainability?. Frontiers in nutrition, 8. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
[6 days left] We use half of all habitable land on Earth to produce food. And then we waste one-third of all that precious food... Reducing food waste is the top climate solution in Project Drawdown and one of the most effective ways for anyone to make a difference. The majority of all this waste in rich countries happens at consumption, mostly in our own homes. Most people in Europe and the US can afford to waste food. But we cannot afford it from an environmental perspective. Food is priceless and too precious to waste. We need a change of perspective. That's why we created a game that makes it fun to practice this: Leftover Legends. You gather leftover ingredients, think of recipe ideas to score points, and then create a delicious meal. We're doing a crowdfunding campaign (or presale) and only have 6 days left. We're currently at 62% and need to reach at least 80%. Please take a look and consider donating and sharing [link in comments]. Thanks! What's more shocking to you? The amount of land we use for food production or the amount of food we waste? Source: Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser (2019) - “Land Use” Published online at OurWorldInData #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants #foodwastetip #foodwastesolution #stopfoodwaste
It's National Bean Week in the Netherlands! 🫘 A couple of reasons why we need to eat more of them: High in protein High in fiber Low carbon footprint Low water footprint Save fertilizer Help to store water in the soil Improve the soil We should all eat more beans so to make that easier we selected 10 easy recipes. 1) Download the free Fork Ranger app 2) Go to 'Recipes' 3) Click on the gift icon 4) Type in the code 'bean' #beandeal #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
What’s the main thing that keeps people from eating less meat? Their imagination: they cannot imagine what a meal without meat might look like (there was a study that concluded this). That might sound stupid but it makes sense because most of the attention of investors and media goes towards meat alternatives. And while they’re improving fast, they still feel like an inferior substitute for many people. The whole point is that you don’t have to eat meat, animal or plant-based. But this option - obvious as it may seem - is not often portrayed and so people don’t see it. And to be honest, a lot of the plant-based options in restaurants are total crap and only confirm the stereotype that plant-based meals have weird ingredients or have zero protein. Cooking with vegetables is easy and delicious. BUT it does take a different way of cooking. This is where recipes come in. We’ve put a lot of effort into creating easy vegetarian recipes with familiar ingredients. But making a recipe you’ve never made before is always a big hurdle. So when you have friends over, make your favorite veggie dish and send them the recipe afterwards. That way they at least know what it’s going to be like. ———- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 📱 If you want to get our recipes, download the Fork Ranger app in the Google Play or App Store. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
I measured the climate impact of food in bananas 🍌 Because CO2 is too abstract... The banana is not perfect, but despite long transport distances, a banana has a very low carbon footprint. So what if you compare the banana to other foods in the supermarket? Even though I think about the climate impact of food on a daily basis it's surprising to see the impact of some of these products counted in the form of bananas Most charts usually compare foods per kg, or per 100 g of protein. That's a fair comparison but that is not how we buy them. So I found this a very interesting exercise :) Any surprises for you? Which product do you want to see compared to a banana? ---- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 📱 If you want to get more facts about the impact of our food (and recipes), download the Fork Ranger app in the Google Play or App Store. ----- Source: RIVM Database Milieubelasting voedingsmiddelen - Databaseversie 4 oktober 2019 #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
'Eating is like voting three times a day in what kind of world you want to live'. But so far, we've only provided recipes for one of those moments 👀 So far we've only focused on cooking dinner 🍝 we have more 100 recipes now to help people to make it as easy as possible to eat less meat and dairy. But what about breakfast and lunch? 🥪 (here in the Netherlands, most people don't cook themselves during lunch but eat sandwiches) If you don't want to put meat or cheese on a sandwich, what the heck is an easy alternative?! 🤷♂️ The past few months we've been trying to answer that question and create a Fork Ranger lunch collection! We're going to launch it March 4th during the start of the 'Week without Meat' (Foundation Week Without Meat Europe) So stay tuned 😁 #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
What’s the main thing that keeps people from eating less meat? Their imagination: they cannot imagine what a meal without meat might look like (there was a study that concluded this). That might sound stupid but it makes sense because most of the attention of investors and media goes towards meat alternatives. And while they’re improving fast, they still feel like an inferior substitute for many people. The whole point is that you don’t have to eat meat, animal or plant-based. But this option - obvious as it may seem - is not often portrayed and so people don’t see it. And to be honest, a lot of the plant-based options in restaurants are total crap and only confirm the stereotype that plant-based meals have weird ingredients or have zero protein. Cooking with vegetables is easy and delicious. BUT it does take a different way of cooking. This is where recipes come in. We’ve put a lot of effort into creating easy vegetarian recipes with familiar ingredients. But making a recipe you’ve never made before is always a big hurdle. So when you have friends over, make your favorite veggie dish and send them the recipe afterwards. That way they at least know what it’s going to be like. ———- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 📱 If you want to get our recipes, download the Fork Ranger app in the Google Play or App Store. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #foodwastetip #foodwastesolution #stopfoodwaste #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Does it hurt to see a banana getting smashed? Good! That's your instinct telling you that wasting food is a real shame. Unfortunately, we do this all the time... -- Note: In the video, I say that 58% of food waste in Europe and the US happens in our own homes. I should said 'at consumption'. This also includes restaurants but the majority of that happens in households. Sources: - Project Drawdown, Table of solutions - Lipinski, B. et al (2013). Reducing Food Loss and Waste - Creating a Sustainable Food Future, Installment Two. World Resources Institute. - Crippa, M., Solazzo, E., Guizzardi, D., Monforti-Ferrario, F., Tubiello, F. N., & Leip, A. J. N. F. (2021). Food systems are responsible for a third of global anthropogenic GHG emissions. Nature Food, 2(3), 198-209.
I changed my opinion on meat alternatives: 5 years ago they were all the hype. But since then, meat alternatives have gotten a lot of criticism for being ultra-processed. And because they got so much attention, many people felt like the only way to have a plant-rich diet is to eat ‘junk’. That’s a shame because it’s super easy to cook with legumes and nuts. So I was very critical of meat alternatives. I didn’t like them and thought they were distracting from other ways of eating. But now I see they can play an important role as well. They’re not THE solution, but they are part of the solution. They are the perfect option for when we crave something like a hot dog or a hamburger. There is no good reason why McDonalds needs to use real beef. No one is going to taste the difference. And in the past few years, there’s also been more evidence that the meat alternatives are healthier than the processed meat they aim to replace. A hotdog and a hamburger was never healthy food, but the plant-based option scores better than the meat version. Still, many of our users prefer to cook with whole plants and that’s why all our recipes use nuts or legumes and don’t use meat alternatives. But recently I made plant-based hot dogs with sauerkraut and it was phenomenal. What’s your take on plant-based meat? Source: Shanmugam, K., Bryngelsson, S., Östergren, K., & Elinor, H. (2023). Climate Impact of Plant-based Meat Analogues: A Review of Life Cycle Assessments. Sustainable Production and Consumption. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Almost anything tastes better with fat. But fat contains a lot of calories, which means it also costs more energy to produce ➡️ higher carbon footprint That is also true for dairy products: the more fat a product contains, the more milk was needed and the higher the footprint is. Plant-based oils also have a higher footprint than fruits and veggies. And one of the most-used plant oils has a particularly bad image: palm oil. You can find palm oil in so many products, from cookies and ice cream to lipstick. The problem with palm oil is that it causes deforestation, but it’s a complicated topic. Because palm oil is also one of the most efficient oil plants, so trying to replace it with other plants would require even more land and cause more deforestation. Read our blog post on palm oil if you want to know more. The short story is that margarine with vegetable oils has a lower footprint than butter. Not only is the carbon footprint of margarine lower, but it also requires less fresh water, occupies less land, and it causes less water pollution (eutrophication). ----- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 📱 If you want to see more infographics about sustainable food, download the free Fork Ranger app in the Google Play or App Store. (I'm currently hiking in the mountains so it's going to take a while until I reply to comments. For urgent things, contact my co-founder Mareike) ---- Sources: Liao et al. (2020). Large-scale regionalised LCA shows that plant-based fat spreads have a lower climate, land occupation and water scarcity impact than dairy butter. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 25 (6), 1043-1058. Nilsson et al. (2010). Comparative life cycle assessment of margarine and butter consumed in the UK, Germany and France. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 15 (9), 916-926. #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
🤯 Eating one leftover slice of bread, saves 10 liters of water and a land area the size of an A4 piece of paper! Food waste is a huge problem and I wanted to know what I should do. What’s the one action or product to focus on as an individual? My research led me to bread: 🌾 Grains are the most wasted food in terms of calories 🏠 In the West, most bread waste happens in households 😒 We often throw bread away not because it’s moldy, but because it’s stale and less tasty 🗑 People who eat bread heels/crusts waste less food in general That is why I decided to focus on bread, specifically on bread heels or crusts. And when I calculated the impact I was surprised at how much land and water goes into one bread slice. Eating leftover bread is not only about saving land and water. It’s also a symbolic act to appreciate our food more. Eating leftover bread can be starting point for tackling food waste because we need a change of perspective. It’s about valuing everything that goes into food production and acknowledging that food is too valuable to be wasted. Source: Calculations for 38 g of bread with numbers from Poore, J., & Nemecek, T. (2018). Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science, 360(6392), 987-992. #foodwaste #foodwastewarriors #eatveggies #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #futurefood #futureoffood #foodsystem
If we implement these 87 solutions we can stay below 2°C global heating (Project Drawdown). For me, there are three important conclusions: 1️⃣ We have all the solutions and technology we need. This is doable. 2️⃣ Many of these solutions are human: they not only reduce CO2 but also create a more beautiful, fair, and healthy world. 3️⃣ Some important solutions require individual behavior change. In fact, we cannot solve the climate crisis without changing what we eat. So we want to help anyone who wants to give a plant-rich diet a go. Together with behavioral scientist Natalia Le Gal we created our ‘Start Cooking! Bootcamp’. This online program is for everyone who wants to cook with less meat and more vegetables. In a small group of max. 30 people we will guide you through everything you need. Our promise: at the end of this bootcamp, you will have at least 4 reliable, easy, and delicious recipes that you will be able to include in your cooking routine. 🗣 3 online meetings (including one with a nutritionist of the Dutch Olympic team!) 🍝 6 recipes per week to choose from, tailored to your needs 💡 4 topics to cover the basics of plant-rich cooking 💬 Whatsapp group for social support and all your questions You can learn more and sign up on our website. I’ll put the link in the comments. It costs €49 and you can sign up a buddy for €19. Do you know someone who would want to participate? :) #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Here is why bread should be your focus when it comes to reducing food waste: 🌾 Grains are the most wasted food in terms of calories 🏠 In the West, most bread waste happens in households 😒 We often throw bread away not because it’s moldy, but because it’s stale and less tasty 🗑 People who eat bread heels/crusts waste less food in general Eating leftover bread is not only about saving land and water. It’s also a symbolic act to appreciate our food more. Eating leftover bread can be starting point for tackling food waste because we need a change of perspective. It’s about valuing everything that goes into food production and acknowledging that food is too valuable to be wasted. To remember that food is one of our first basic needs. ---- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 📱 If you want to see more of these infographics, download the Fork Ranger app in the Google Play or App Store. 🏔 I'm currently on vacation so it might take a while until I can respond to comments or messages ---- Sources: Barabosz, J. (2011). Konsumverhalten und Entstehung von Lebensmittelabfällen in Musterhaushalten. Stuttgart. WRAP & WWF-UK (World Wide Fund for Nature – UK) (2011) The Water and Carbon Footprint of Household Food and Drink Waste in the UK. WRAP: Banbury. #foodwastetip #foodwastesolution #stopfoodwaste
There are three categories of food waste: 1️⃣ Avoidable = food that is perfectly edible but wasted. Like a stale piece of bread. 2️⃣ Possibly avoidable = food that is edible but not often perceived that way. Examples are broccoli stems and potato peels. 3️⃣ Unavoidable = part of ingredients that are not edible (traditionally). An example would be banana peels. They are edible but require some creativity. Category number one is of course the most important to reduce. But category two is also important! Potato peels are the biggest category in the UK household list of ‘possibly avoided food waste’. And according to WRAP research from 2011, wasted potato peels still have a 3 times higher footprint than an entire season of Formula 1! 🤯 In other words: the extra potatoes that need to be grown to cover the lost nutrition of the peels have a carbon footprint of ca. 750,000 t CO2e. So if you buy potatoes you don’t have to peel them. A win-win for the climate and yourself because it also saves time. Not peeling carrots or potatoes is one of the ways to score extra points in our game 'Leftover Legends': it's dinner party game where you invite your friends to bring leftover ingredients, create recipe ideas to score points, and cook a tasty meal together. We just started our crowdfunding 10 days ago. So if you believe in changing our mindset about food, can I ask you to take a look at the crowdfunding and support it? Click on the link in bio! #foodwaste #foodwastewarriors #eatveggies #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #futurefood #futureoffood #foodsystem
We use more soy to feed fish than to create tofu 👀 More than half of all seafood comes from fish farms. And those have the same issues as land animal farms: they require land to grow feed... The main issue with salmon is that it's a carnivore. So not only does it need a high-protein diet of soybeans and corn but it also needs fish. So we catch small fish in the wild to feed to salmon. The solution is not (only) to eat wild salmon but to eat smaller fish like herring and anchovies. Even better are farmed mussels and seaweed. Farmed salmon still has a relatively low footprint compared to cheese and beef. But it's clearly not a great idea to cut down more rainforest to grow soybeans for salmon :) --- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 📱 If you want to get more facts about the impact of our food (and recipes), download the Fork Ranger app in the Google Play or App Store. --- Source: Ytrestoyl, T., Aas, T. S., & Äsgard, T. (2015). Utilisation of feed resources in production of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in Norway. Aquaculture, 448, 365-374. | Fry, J. P., Mailloux, N. A., Love, D. C., Milli, M. C., & Cao, L. (2018). Feed conversion efficiency in aquaculture: do we measure it correctly?. Environmental Research Letters, 13(2), 024017. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants #fish #salmon
The biggest solution to food waste is changing our attitude about it: we see food as a cheap commodity but in reality it’s one of the only material things in life that matter. A lot of people in the US and Europe can financially afford to waste food if it's convenient for them. But we cannot afford all this waste from an environmental perspective: it causes 8% of ALL greenhouse gas emissions (double the aviation sector). So we need to remember what food really is. Just consider what goes into a bread: from a large wheat field that once used to be nature and months of plant growth to the many hours of farmers and bakers. Changing our perspective on food waste was one of the key motivations for creating Leftover Legends. It's a dinner party game where you invite your friends to bring leftover ingredients, create recipe ideas to score points, and cook a tasty meal together. We're currently doing a crowdfunding campaign to launch the game. So if you believe in changing our mindset about food, can I ask you to take a look at the crowdfunding and support it? The link is in the comments. ---- 🔴 This is an excerpt from my TEDx talk 'How to make sustainable choices at the supermarket'
Games for climate change? Do you think it can work? There are 9 days left on our crowdfunding campaign for Leftover Legends. Can you help us spread the word? You can help us by: 💰 donating to the crowdfunding campaign and getting a game for yourself (or your company): 💬 Comment on this post (and others) so you your network will learn about it. 📣 Share the crowdfunding link with your friends, family and social circle 🌠 Put up our crowdfunding poster in your office, supermarket or simply window (comment so we can send it to you) The link is in bio! How the game works: 1. You invite people to bring leftover ingredients 2. Create recipe ideas to score points 3. Vote for the recipe you're going to make 4. Enjoy a creative meal!
Ons avondeten is ongeveer net zo slecht voor het klimaat als TATA steel 👀 En 2/3 daarvan komt door vlees. In een RIVM rapport kun je zien hoe de klimaatuitstoot van het eten van een gemiddelde Nederlander is verdeeld: 🍝 Meer dan helft ontstaat tijdens het avondeten 2/3 van de klimaatimpact van dat avondeten komt door vlees. Vervolgens heb ik met een bierviltjes berekening geschat hoe groot de klimaatimpact is van ons avondeten voor alle bewoners in Nederland. En dat is per jaar ongeveer evenveel als TATA steel. Nu is het wel goed om erbij te zeggen dat het andere soort emissies zijn. TATA steel zorgt niet alleen voor CO2 maar ook ook andere soort vervuiling waardoor mensen in de omgeving doodgaan. De klimaatimpact van ons eten ontstaat vooral door boskap, landgebruik, kunstmest en methaanuitstoot van koeien. Wat ik vooral wil laten zien: anders gaan eten maakt een enorm groot verschil. Je hoeft niet te wachten tot bedrijven of de politiek in actie komen. Tuurlijk, dat is ook nodig. Maar ondertussen kunnen gewone burgers zoals jij en ik al een heel groot verschil maken met dagelijkse keuzes. Sources: The figures for the average Dutch diet come from a RIVM report (The environmental sustainability of the Dutch diet, 2017). I used population numbers from CBS to estimate the total amount of GHG from all dinners per year in the Netherlands, which is around 12.3 million tonnes CO2e per year. Urgenda states that TATA steel emits 11.6 million tonnes CO2e per year. For the forest comparison I cut the carbon footprint of meat during dinner in half, which amounts to a saved 532.9 kg CO2e per year, per adult. When accounting for all adults and children you get a total reduction of 4.32 million tonnes CO2e. I then used numbers from an article on bosplus (Hoeveel ton CO2 slaat een bos nu eigenlijk op?) for how much CO2e a forest sequesters per year in its first 20 years (8.4 t CO2 per hectare). Dividing the 4.32 million tonnes CO2e by 8.4 you get 5140 km². According to wikipedia, the province of Gelderland is 5137 km². #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
You can also make more climate-friendly choices without becoming a vegetarian. Too often people only see two options: 1) Keep eating meat 2) Become vegetarian But for most people the answer is simply eating less meat. And by choosing more low-impact meat this way of eating can have an extra big impact. #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Plant-based meat gets a lot of criticism for being 'ultra-processed'. But this is unfair: 1) A lot of the meat we currently eat is also processed 2) When it comes to environmental footprint, the processing doesn't add a lot of emissions. To be honest, I don't eat a lot of meat alternatives because I prefer to cook with beans, lentils, nuts, etc. I think part of the backlash against plant-based meat comes from the media and investors presenting it as THE solution for the climate problem of meat. While cooking with vegetables gets a lot less attention. Plant-based meat isn't going to solve all the issues, but it's an important part of the puzzle. It can replace the current processed meat and fast food. So I mostly cook with legumes and nuts, but once in a while I like to have a burger and that's where the meat alternatives provide a lot of good solutions. What's your take on plant-based meat? ----- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 📱 If you want to see more of these infographics, download the Fork Ranger app in the Google Play or App Store. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Legumes are a climate superfood! 🫘 So eat more beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas. High in protein High in fiber Low carbon footprint Low water footprint Save fertilizer Help to store water in the soil Improve the soil #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Only 0,16% of all food miles are covered by air... so while air transport has a huge carbon footprint, it's not something we need to worry about too much. Especially now that @albertheijn and @LidlNederland have both committed to stop flying products. Again, that decision only affects a few products. But it's definitely an important step because it was hard to tell whether something came by air. So what transport methods are used for the other 99,76% of food miles? 🚢 59% by ship, Despite what people think, the carbon footprint of a product transported by ship is extremely low because so much fits on a ship. 🚄 10% by rail 🚚 31% by road Because road transport has a relatively high footprint, it causes 85% of the transport emissions in the food system!! So most of the emissions happen at the local/regional level, not the international shipping. It's also important to mention that overall, transport plays a pretty small role in the impact of food (about 5% of all food emissions). This all means that paying attention to food miles is completely useless when it comes to reducing the climate impact of food. There are certainly other reasons to promote a local food system, such as having more transparency about the working conditions and farming methods, and choosing local varieties to increase biodiversity. But it's way more important *what* you eat (beef or beans) than *where* it comes from or *how* it's produced. ---- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 📱 If you want to get more facts about the impact of our food (and recipes), download the Fork Ranger app in the Google Play or App Store. 🎤 If you're looking for a speaker let's get in touch. I tell stories about sustainable behavior change with surprising facts and a hopeful conclusion. Source: Our World in Data #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
A lot of surveys show that money is one of the things that keeps people from eating more sustainably. But is sustainable food actually more expensive? 💰 The most important step of eating more sustainably is reducing meat. And yes, plant-based chicken nuggets or burgers are usually more expensive, but nobody said you have to eat those. The cheapest way to replace meat is using beans and lentils. Meat is often the most expensive ingredient in a meal so replacing it saves costs. Oxford even did a study and found exactly that: a sustainable diet is cheaper [in high-income countries]. Food waste is another big way to save both money and emissions. The average Dutch family wastes about 500 euros a year by throwing away perfectly good food! Source: Springmann, M., Clark, M. A., Rayner, M., Scarborough, P., & Webb, P. (2021). The global and regional costs of healthy and sustainable dietary patterns: a modelling study. The Lancet Planetary Health, 5(11), e797-e807. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Sustainability often feels like we’re trying to take away all the good things in life: Less meat 🥩 Less flying ✈️ Less shopping 🛍 …and less freedom to choose what I want. But that’s not really what it’s about. We’ve found solutions to some of the biggest problems humanity has ever faced and we want people to be a part of it. It’s not about less. This is about more *life*. Less meat, but MORE diversity in flavor and MORE health 👅 Less flying, but MORE adventure regardless of where it is ⛺️ Less shopping, but MORE memories 👯♀️ …and MORE freedom to live a healthy and good life instead of being sucked into consumerism. Many sustainable solutions are win-wins. Treating meat like a luxury is not only good for the planet but also good for our health. And cooking with leftovers is not only good for the planet but also for your wallet. We hope Leftover Legends will help people to discover some of those win-wins. Writing the caption for this post turned into a more passionate call for living the good life than I had anticipated so it feels a bit weird to now go into sales mode… but: if you think that a game about cooking with leftovers can help, please check out the crowdfunding. I’ll put the link the comments. Thanks!
The banana can teach us a lot about the climate impact of our food: The banana is not perfect, but despite long transport distances, a banana has a very low carbon footprint. So what if you compare the banana to other foods in the supermarket? Even though I think about the climate impact of food on a daily basis it's surprising to see the impact of some of these products counted in the form of bananas. Most charts usually compare foods per kg, or per 100 g of protein. That's a fair comparison but that is not how we buy them. So I found this a very interesting exercise :) Any surprises for you? Which product do you want to see compared to a banana? ----- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 📱 If you want to get more facts about the impact of our food (and recipes), download the Fork Ranger app in the Google Play or App Store. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
What if sustainable food were a video game? 🎮 These are the first 3 levels of eating for the climate: 1: Replacing beef 🥩 Meat causes more than half of all GHG emissions in the average European diet and beef sticks out: its footprint is around 5x higher than pork and chicken. 2: Finish your bread 🍞 1/3 of all food is wasted and a lot of it happens at consumption. Bread is one of the main products because people don't like eating stale bread. Every saved slice of bread saves land the size of an A4 piece of paper. 3: Invite two others to starts level 1 & 2 💬 Three people replacing beef roughly has the same climate impact as one person going vegan. We don't need a few perfectionists but millions of people taking action. To make Level 2 and 3 a lot easier (and more fun!) we want to launch Leftover Legends. A dinner party game where you invite friends to cook with leftover ingredients. But we need your help: we're currently 8 days away from finishing our crowdfunding for Leftover Legends. Please check it out through the link in the comments and consider donating. Commenting on posts and sharing also really helps. Let me know if you want more details about the sources. There are too many of them to all mention here. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
If you're vegetarian you have probably experienced this: you tell someone you don’t eat meat and then you get fish. But fish is also meat: A lot of fish comes from fish farms and these have the same issues as land animal farms. Fish like salmon are fed with soy beans and corn. Additionally they’re also fed with smaller wild-caught fishes like herring. So if you want to eat fish, go for the smaller options like herring and anchovies. The best seafood are mussels and seaweed. Seaweed is like an underwater food forest that can sequester CO2. And farmed mussels filter nitrogen out of the water (nitrogen is a mineral that’s not unhealthy for us but promotes the growth of algae, which then suffocates the fish). ---- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 📱 If you want to see more of these infographics, download the Fork Ranger app in the Google Play or App Store. soybeans #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants
Is eating seasonally better for the climate? Yes, but it's complicated. Let me explain: Products from a heated greenhouse have a much higher carbon footprint. This is true for tomatoes and other products like green beans. Buying a local and seasonal tomato is definitely a better option. BUT... Vegetables contribute only 4% to the carbon footprint of the average EU diet. So even if you reduce emissions, it's only a small part. 83% of the emissions come from meat and dairy. Of course 1kg of tomatoes and cheese have a very different nutritional value. But cooking with tomatoes sometimes helps to leave away the cheese or meat because tomatoes have a nice umami flavor. So first eat more vegetables and less meat. Then buy more seasonal vegetables. The other thing about seasonal food is that it just feels good and it has many other benefits (see our blog post about it). This is why we created our seasonal calendar for Northwestern Europe (Netherlands, UK, Germany, Belgium). It shows you when tomatoes is in season, and also provides 4 seasonal recipes for each month. You can learn more on the Fork Ranger website. The nice thing about September: almost everything is in season right now! So enjoy those delicious tomatoes :) --- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 📱 If you want to get more facts about the impact of our food (and recipes), download the Fork Ranger app in the Google Play or App Store. #sustainablefood #sustainablefoods #lessmeat #plantbasedprotein #climateactionnow #climateaction #eatmoreplants -- Sources: Theurl, M. C., Haberl, H., Erb, K. H., & Lindenthal, T. (2014). Contrasted greenhouse gas emissions from local versus long-range tomato production. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 34, 593-602. Sandström, V., Valin, H., Krisztin, T., Havlík, P., Herrero, M., & Kastner, T. (2018). The role of trade in the greenhouse gas footprints of EU diets. Global food security, 19, 48-55.
Today I'm starting something a little different... every Friday I want to imagine a more sustainable world. And go beyond food, which is what I usually talk about. With climate change, the underlying problem for me is consumerism. We're overconsuming materials (from cars and fossil fuels to meat) at a rate that is damaging to the planet and our own health. It's also not like consumerism is making us very happy. So I'm exploring a new version of 'The Good Life': Less meat, more plants Less flying, more adventure Less stuff, more memories Too often we only talk about the 'bad stuff' and so it seems like a sustainable lifestyle is all about giving up nice things. Of course sometimes it's painful (meat is delicious and cars are convenient). But the point is that there is also something we get in return. Eating more veggies is not only healthier but also brings new flavours. Having less cars makes for cleaner air and more beautiful streets. So every Friday I want to imagine the positive. LESS of something that's polluting, MORE of something that makes our world more beautiful and happy. What is a LESS/MORE thing you're excited about? --- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 🍝 This is the philosophy behind everything we do at Fork Ranger: it's not about getting to a perfectly sustainable diet but using our food as a force for good. Download our free app (called Fork Ranger) to get started
1/3 of all food is never eaten. Which means: ➡️ More food production than necessary ➡️ More land use, more pesticides, etc. ➡️ More climate change That is why reducing food waste is one of the top solutions for climate change in Project Drawdown. But where do we start? There are two important facts considering North America and Europe: 1) More food is wasted than anywhere else 2) Most of the food waste happens at the consumption level For me, there is one big conclusion: we no longer value our food as much as we should. It’s not always possible to avoid food waste. But we can each do our part in valuing food as one of the things in life that really matter. Something that is too valuable to waste. Source: Lipinski, B. et al (2013). Reducing Food Loss and Waste - Creating a Sustainable Food Future, Installment Two. World Resources Institute. #foodwastetip #foodwastesolution #stopfoodwaste #climateaction #climatechange #climate