1. Sustainability

2. SUSTAINABILITY What? How? Why?
L.O: To understand that sustainability is
a key issue for consumers and producers of food
and give practical suggestions of how to
create a more sustainable food system.
ALL students will be able to define sustainability
MOST students will be able to; explain how sustainability may be implemented into a domestic and/ or commercial setting
SOME students will be able to; explain why the food and agricultural system has a significant detrimental impact on the world's resources

3. SUSTAINABILITY What is it??
There is no legal definition for the term sustainability, which is why it is sometimes confusing! Sustainability is a GLOBAL contemporary issue and vast in terms of impact and strategy.
Try to define sustainability in your own words…

5. How can consumers and producers support a sustainable food system?
Sustain recommends 7 ACTION POINTS
Think, discuss and make notes...
How do these changes in consumption create a more sustainable food system?
How will these also affect product development, marketing and production?
How could these be incorporated into YOUR product specification?

6. ACTION POINT 1; Buy local, seasonally available ingredients
Increasing demand for a wide range of ready-prepared exotic varieties
Increase in GHG due to food transport
Soft fruits which go off quickly have to either be treated with chemicals or travel by air
Consumers pay more for additional costs of refrigeration, packaging & transportation
Loss of local food security
Loss of food culture
Loss of food knowledge and skills
Do you know any local initiatives or ways that companies can keep it local and seasonal??

7. ACTION POINT 2; Buy food from farming systems that minimise harm to the environment
Economic burden- UK farming contributes to 1% of total economic activity but takes up 74% of land
Loss of natural habitat for local wildlife
Soil erosion
Water pollution
How could the land be put to better use??
Do consumers understand what labels to look out for and what they mean???

8. ACTION POINT 3; Reduce the amount of foods of animal origin
Globally, animal farming causes more GHGs than all the cars, lorries and planes in the world put together!!
Deforestation to grow huge amounts of animal feed to produce small amounts of produce;
7kg of grain used to yield 1kg of beef
4kg grain used to yield 1kg pork
2kg grain for 1kg of poultry
What is the staple diet in developing countries?

9. More on why we should reduce the amount of foods of animal origin
Nitrogen fertilisers are used to produce animal feed- GHG: nitrous oxide
Livestock emit high amounts of methane from their digestive system
Deforestation causes a natural ‘carbon sink’ as less carbon dioxide is absorbed
Energy intensive production, refrigeration and transportation methods
Over stocking- disease
Corner cutting- e.g. Cutting tails from pigs- reducing animal welfare

11. ACTION POINT 4; Stop buying fish species identified as most ‘at risk’ by the Marine Conservation Society
Over three quarters of the world’s fish stocks are currently either fully or over exploited due to increase demand and intense fishing
The “Big Five”; cod, haddock, tuna, salmon and prawns are most commonly eaten in the UK and therefore fish stocks are reducing
Fish farming destroys other marine life and natural resources needed for the life cycle to sustain itself
Whilst eating oily fish is vital for health we need to vary the types of fish that we eat in order to ensure that the health benefits can be enjoyed by future generations
Swap the “Big Five” for Pollock, Coley, Hake, crab, pilchards, sardines… and opt for “line caught”

12. ACTION POINT 5; Choose Fairtrade-certified products
The growers get a fair price for their product
Helps the ‘growers’ in the developing world
maintain a reasonable standard of living
Fairtrade guarantees local sustainability – a guarantee that they will be able to re-plant and maintain their crops year on year
Guarantees better working conditions
Companies who buy the products must pay the market price
Fairtrade products are becoming more popular in the UK – sales have doubled in value over the last 2 years

13. ACTION POINT 6; Avoid bottled water
Waste of money- £1,000 spent on bottled water would cost only 49p for the same volume from the tap!!
UK tap water is purified and tested to higher standards than bottled
No known health benefits
High energy costs of production and transport
Environmental costs of disposal of plastic bottles
Reduce, re-use, recycle: How many uses can you think
of for a plastic bottle??
What other considerations are there for water in commercial and domestic settings??

14. ACTION POINT 7; Protect your and your family’s health and well-being
Diet related diseases cause a huge burden on the world’s economy
Obesity is expected to cost the NHS £45 billion by 2050 and this may rise
Promote the 8 government guidelines for health and you will help to create a more sustainable planet
Do you know what these are??
Link with what we have learned about sustainability

15. Recycling – using recycled materials
Don’t forget Packaging
Recycling – using recycled materials
using materials that can be recycled
using bio-degradable materials
inform the consumer how to safely dispose of the packaging
Use of logos on packaging
Using less packaging
Stop pointless packaging
Using thinner packaging
Buy products in larger packages e.g.. Family sized portions instead of individual
Use your own shopping bags
Did you know that 70% of packaging materials used by industry could be recycled but we only actually recycle about 33%

16. Sustainability is big news in Food Technology and MUST be incorporated into your answers.
Your Task
Write a summary of your findings on sustainability;
Define
Outline why it is important
Give practical suggestions on how you will develop a sustainable product
(No more than 250 words)

17. Recommended films for more information on sustainability and the food chain…
Recommended further reading;