Food Sustainability (Junior Cert Home Economics): Revision Notes
📚 Revision Notes
Food Sustainability
Food sustainability means producing and consuming food in ways that can continue into the future without harming the environment or depleting resources.
Ecological Issues
- Impact of Food Production:
- Food production, packaging, and transportation contribute to environmental issues like air and water pollution.
- Food Miles:
- Refers to the distance food travels before it is purchased.
- Longer food miles increase carbon emissions from transportation.
- Tip: Buy locally produced and seasonal foods to reduce food miles and environmental impact.
Organic Food
- What is Organic Food?
- Grown without artificial fertilisers or pesticides.
- Produced using environmentally friendly methods.
- Identifying Organic Food:
- Packaged organic food in Europe carries the Euro-leaf symbol.
- Sellers can confirm if unpackaged food (like loose fruit and vegetables) is organic.
Food Packaging
- Environmental Harm:
- Plastic packaging contributes significantly to pollution and takes years to decompose.
- Biodegradable Packaging:
- Breaks down naturally without harming the environment.
- Example: Retailers like Lidl use biodegradable packaging for products like organic bananas.
- Many coffee shops now offer biodegradable disposable cups.
Ethical Issues
Ethical food choices are based on values about fairness, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability.
Key Concerns:
- Treatment of agricultural workers.
- Rearing of animals for food production.
Fairtrade:
- What is Fairtrade?
- A certification for products like tea, coffee, and chocolate ensuring fair payment to farmers and good working conditions.
- Why Choose Fairtrade?
- Supports farmers in developing countries and promotes ethical practices.
- Products may be slightly more expensive due to the fair pricing.
Vegetarians and Vegans
- Vegetarians:
- Avoid eating meat but may consume animal by-products like eggs and milk.
- Vegans:
- Avoid all animal-based products, including dairy, eggs, and leather.
- Ethical Reasoning:
- Many choose these diets to avoid harm to animals, believing it is morally wrong to kill or use animals for food.