To Meat or Not to Meat, that is the question

"Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things."

Genesis 9:3, The Bible

Earlier in May this year, Ms Grace Fu, 2^nd Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, spoke with participants at the National Climate Change Youth Conference, and while many were able to forsake their electronic devices and take public transport, far fewer were able to commit to going meat-less to reduce the amount of carbon emissions in our atmosphere. (James, 2014)

Could meat be the new must-have product amongst our youth? Having been recognised as a key source of protein and integrated seamlessly into our diet, it is also important to note that the production of meat in itself has been criticised to be intensive in water and land resources, as well as a significant contributor of greenhouse gases (roughly 18% according to the FAO).

Livestock production accounts for roughly 18% of all carbon emissions, the 2^nd highest behind energy production
(Source: http://www.scientificamerican.com/slideshow/the-greenhouse-hamburger/#3)

In today’s post, I will be focusing on a journal article, entitled The Price of Protein, which I encountered while researching about sustainable consumption. In essence, the article compares the amount of land use utilized and carbon emissions emitted between production methods for protein providing products, comprising of conventional animal meats (red meats, poultry, seafood) along with vegetarian alternatives, such as pulses (dried legume seeds).

Using carbon emissions and land use as indicators for environmental impacts, the report asserts that the production of red meats released the most amount of carbon emissions (up to 150kg CO2 per kg of meat), followed by the production of other animal meats, and finally vegetarian alternatives (Nijdam, Rood and Westhoek, 2012). However, the differences in environmental impacts between red meat production and other animal meat production was suggested to be far larger than the difference between animal meat production and vegetarian alternative production,

My biggest takeaway reading the report was how much potential the agricultural sector has to make its processes less carbon intensive and more sustainable. One particular example to highlight would be on the comparison of cattle farming methods, whereby carbon emissions for methods to produce beef from mixed calves or culled dairy cows in the Netherlands can be up to 5 times less than the conventional extensive ranching methods (Nijdam, Rood and Westhoek, 2012) (for more info click here) But, while traditional animal husbandry can be revamped, it is also important that on the consumer end we curb our demand for meat, to reduce our ecological footprint and push for a sustainable earth.

Dutch farming methods showing emission outputs that are 20% of traditional methods, and generating close to the same level of emissions as other forms of livestock
(Source: Nijdam, Rood and Westhoek, 2012)

What does all this have to do with us then? Singapore might not produce majority of our own meats, yet as a small island state, we stand to lose a lot from rising sea levels as a result of global warming. Our country also shows much potential in cutting down our meat consumption levels, consuming 87kg / capita (AVA, 2014), almost twice the amount of animal food products as compared to the global average of 42kg / capita (FAO, 2012).

However, persuading others to do so on numbers alone is not going to move people by much. Numerical data to fill any knowledge gap about the environmental costs must also be combined with values-based persuasion to appeal better to audiences. (Bubela and Nisbet, 2009). In addition, advocating for a less meat diet solely for environmental benefits isn’t enough to convince Singaporeans, majority of whom are comfortable with consuming meat, rather it has be branded with other social, ethical and economic benefits as well.

Combining hard-to-read data (left) and simple messaging strategies (right) to getting a message across will be the next challenge of less-meat advocates 
(Source: Nidjam, Rood and Westhoek, 2012; http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/04/04/singapore-poster-campaign-wants-public-to-feel-guilty-about-meat-consumption/)

However, change may just be coming, all around the world, bottom-up initiatives are leading the charge for a less-meat diet, proposing meatless days to spread the message. In Singapore, an emerging veggiethursday.sg is a variant of the international movement, and might just be the start of something big here.

-----------------------------------------------------

P.S.
If you are interested in learning more about the challenges of reducing meat consumption, feel free to visit http://blog.nus.edu.sg/xiran/2014/08/18/meat-consumption-and-climate-change/, posted by my friend and fellow BES student, Xiran, who is also blogging about food as well and the environmental issues pertaining to it.

References

Agri-Food and Vetirinary Authority of Singapore , 2014. Statistics - Per capita consumption. [Online] Available at: http://www.ava.gov.sg/Publications/Statistics/#capita[Accessed 30 August 2014].

Bubela, T. & Nisbet, M., 2009. Science communication reconsidered. Nature Biotechnology, 27(6), pp. 514-518.

Food and Agriculture Organisation, United Nations, 2012. By the numbers: GHG emissions by livestock. [Online] Available at: http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/197623/icode/[Accessed 30 August 2014].

James, H., 2014. Education, Collaboration and Technology of equal importance - CleanEnviro Summit 2014 Solutions No. 3, Singapore: Novus.

Nijdam, D., Rood, T. and Westhoek, H. (2012). The price of protein: Review of land use and carbon footprints from life cycle assessments of animal food products and their substitutes. Food Policy, 37(6), pp760--770

Picking your foods right – Thoughts on what makes food safe

“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are."

Jean-Anthelme Brillat Saverin

Just a few days back, Channel NewsAsia reported that Singapore has began to lift bans for food grown in Fukushima, some 3 and a half years after the Fukushima nuclear crisis (see article here). While AVA will continue to conduct radiation checks, Singapore is making a bold move in re-introducing potentially radioactive foods into the market, considering that even within Japan, people are turning their backs on Fukushima produce (see article here). Regionally, contaminated foods also threaten the image of fast food in China, where the meat supplier for McDonalds’ has been accused of providing expired meats (see article here).

In light of all these food scares, it has made me question what I have been eating off the shelf all this time, and whether it has been safe for me or the environment. For that matter, what really makes food safe anyway, when what happens to your body in the short term (i.e. food poisoning) and the long term (i.e. cancer), can be very different? 

naturallysaavy.com, an organic living blog, highlights what they think are the 7 most dangerous ingredients in foods today

While technological innovation(s) like preservatives and GM foods have greatly improved our food supply, many have been a topic of environmental controversy as well. In particular, the heavy use of pesticides in agriculture to kill pests has been linked to poisoning our water supply (via leaching into groundwater), and causing pesticide-resistant ‘superweeds’ to emerge (Sattler and Kächele, 2007). In Canada today, environmentalists continue to be engaged in banning the use of neonicotinoids as a pesticide, for it has causing the death of nearby pollinating bee populations, and potentially causing neurodegenerative disorders amongst humans whom consume these foods sprayed. (see article here)

On the bright side, many Singaporeans have begun to support organic food instead, citing health and environmental reasons (Weber Shandwick, 2014), and suppliers are responding to this demand. The next challenge lies in making organic food an economically viable option in a nation of growing income inequality. During my groceries shopping for the week, I took a peek at the supermarket's organic corner and found the price differences between organic foods and non-organic ones to be staggering .

How would you like to pay close to 7 times more for 5 oranges?

Contamination of food however, will remain something people will never take lightly. With respect to the lifting of bans for Fukushima produce, I still feel Singaporeans will likely still avoid them, and look towards substitutes imported from other areas, even if they come at a higher price. Somehow Singaporeans, for all our bargain-hunting, will never compromise on personal health, and that’s a good thing. Hopefully for that we make smarter, environmentally-friendly food choices as well. 

References

Channel NewsAsia, 2014. Fukushima food imports ban lifted, but AVA still conducting checks. [Online]
Available at: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/fukushima-food-imports/1323994.html
[Accessed 27 August 2014].

Sattlera, C., Kächele, H. & Verch, G., 2007. Assessing the intensity of pesticide use in agriculture. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 119(3-4), pp. 299-304.

Weber Shandwick, 2014. Food Forward Trends Report 2014 , Singapore: s.n.

Filling the Plate - A look at Food Insecurity

“Hunger knows no friend but its feeder”

Aristophanes

Satisfying hunger, even in times of old, has always been one of homo sapiens’ fundamental needs. As so aptly coined by Snickers:

(Source: http://alittlesomethingabout.com/2012/07/25/hungry/)

Imagine the last time you went un-fed for an extended duration. Did it prompt you to become lethargic and lifeless, or enter a sour mood? Yet, while we merely become physically and emotionally deprived until the next available meal, the sad reality is people worldwide continue to face this problem day in, day out.

All 842 million-odd of them.

(Soucre: The State of Food Insecurity in the World - Executive Summary 2013)

Granted, majority of the world’s hungry originate from developing regions in Africa and the Asia-Pacific, but a recent article from National Geographic entitled 'The New Face of Hunger' explored the evolving face of hunger and food insecurity in the United States, and it has shown that food insecurity is no longer a prevalent issue from developing nations alone, but can be experienced worldwide (National Geographic, 2014). Known to be one of the largest corn producers in the world, it is surprising and worrying that one of the world’s superpowers has become filled with citizens whom, despite owning a car and house, lack the financial ability to satisfy their personal food needs.

Such has left me to ponder on Singapore’s own ability to fulfil our food needs. With the wide availability of food kiosks, hawker centres and supermarkets islandwide, it is virtually impossible to identify food deserts like National Geographic highlighted for the US. Yet, our weakest link could lie in our high reliance on imports for food (roughly 90%). What happens should our supply chains be cut off? Do we have a Plan B or will our island-state go 6 million hungry?

Unlike our independence in 1965, Singapore’s food independence looks much harder to achieve. In our largely urbanized city, arable land use has fallen below 1%, as traced by World Bank (2013), with the remaining of our forested areas kept for military training or as natural sites for biodiversity. Geographical conditions such as extended periods of rain and our consistently one-dimensional climate puts us at a comparative disadvantage in crop growth in comparison to our regional neighbours.

That isn’t to say Singapore is helpless to its limitations. Technological innovations, such as vertical farming to grow vegetables, is picking up in Singapore, but it may be decades before Singapore can confidently say that we are able to feed our own people.

                                     

References

Krishnamurthy, R. (2014). Vertical Farming: Singapore’s Solution to Feed the Local Urban Population. [online] PermacultureNews.org. Available at: http://permaculturenews.org/2014/07/25/vertical-farming-singapores-solution-feed-local-urban-population/ [Accessed 17 Aug. 2014].

National Geographic, (2014). The New Face of Hunger. [online] Available at: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/foodfeatures/hunger/ [Accessed 17 Aug. 2014].

The State of Food Insecurity in the World – Executive Summary 2013. (2013). 1^st ed. [ebook] Available at: http://www.fao.org/docrep/018/i3458e/i3458e.pdf [Accessed 17 Aug. 2014]

World Bank, (2013). Arable land (% of land area) | Data | Table. [online] Available at: http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.ARBL.ZS [Accessed 17 Aug. 2014].