Questions tagged [food]
substance consumed to provide nutritional support for humans and animals. Use this tag for questions on the sustainability aspects of food in general. See also [meat],[fish],[cooking]
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US: Does canned pineapple produce more CO2 per calorie than fresh?
I've seen a few papers (like this and this) which suggest that fresh pineapple is less CO2-intense (also way less fresh water-intense) than canned pineapple in a few different contexts.
However, these ...
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Is a fish based diet most sustainable?
It is in the news (paper, writeup) that a study has just come out that some seafood, particularly small wild pelagics such as mackerel, herring and pilchard (eg. Japanese pilchard = 0.498 kg CO2e per ...
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Does grass-fed beef have lower carbon footprint than feedlot-finished beef?
I have read this article of 2019 and still don't understand which one is better (climate-wise). Grass-fed beef involves more belches and produces less meat but seqesters carbon in grass. But what's ...
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When this label is used, can you recycle the carton's cap?
Usually, when recycling, I see cartons with labels saying to "empty and replace cap." However, labels such as the following lack such a notice:
When placing the carton in the recycle ...
The Editor
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Is there any efficient and small-scale compost heat recovery(CHR) system?
I want to develop a system mainly based on compost heat recovery technology.
Much research has already been in the past years and some good DIY designs established for farms to warm greenhouses. But ...
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How much more sustianable is breastfeeding than formula feeding?
Today, breastfeeding is recommended for all newborns due to the health benefits for both the infant and the mother. In addition to health benefits, it is cheaper than formula feeding, and once ...
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What is the impact of ongoing research of turning plastic into proteins?
I found this story regarding ongoing research of using bacteria to turn plastic into protein:
The team demonstrated that once the plastic is broken down by heat and a reactor, it can be fed to the ...
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How can a purely vegan diet be the most sustainable?
There seems to be a growing consensus, that the vegan diet is the most sustainable for our environment on multiple levels, such as land use, water use and CO2.
There is some debate about whether ...
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Can mealworms form part of a healthy diet in the UK?
Mealworms for birds are a cheap form of nutrition. Could they be processed at home in a way to make them healthy?
Dried mealworms are sold as bird food for just under £8/Kg in the UK or $3/Kg from ...
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Is human energy efficient?
I spent 2 weeks traveling on my bicycle, and usually I was very hungry.. Since I ate a lot of food, I asked to myself if maybe a train (dividing cost between all passenger) was more green than me!
I ...
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Can Hydroponic products be termed as organic food?
Hydroponics using NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) is heavily dependent on inorganic nutrients. However, modern marketing jargons term the food produced as organic and business model as sustainable.
...
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Doesn't it make more sense to wrap hot sandwiches with the foil facing in?
You know those hot sandwiches sold in grocery stores (northeast USA at least...) that are wrapped in a foil paper? Wouldn't it thermally make more sense to have the shiny foil facing in? To keep the ...
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How to dispose ultra-processed food?
A friend of mine just recently started avoiding any ultra-processed food because of health concerns. However he already had some in his storage room and some have passed their expiration date.This ...
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Biodegradable Food Packging
I am trying to figure out an application for a biodegradable packaging material a found out about. It is made from old or used potatoes or corn starch. I was thinking of using it in Pizza boxes to ...
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Alternative to bananas in Europe
If you buy bananas in Europe, they usually come with a high CO2 level, since they are mostly produced overseas.
Is there a fruit produced in Europe which comes quite close to bananas in terms of ...
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How do I choose the most sustainable chocolate?
I've heard that the production and import of chocolate has some consequences including deforestation, excessive use of pesticides and CO2 emissions. There are also concerns about exploitation of ...
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Subsistence hunting and fishing in Alaska?
My entire family and I are all planning to move to Alaska in early April, and I'm looking for areas where it is closer to be able to do subsistence hunting and fishing, with land we can buy to build ...
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Is there any case where plant farming is more eco friendly than raising livestock?
I am looking for an example or a case with arguments that would justify converting cattle ranches into plant farms (e.g., wheat, apple, or anything non-meat). The advantages should be in a more ...
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What are some leguminous food trees suited for a Mediterranean climate?
I can think of carob, which already grows in the area.
What other kinds would be a good source of nutrition and thrive in a Mediterranean climate with little annual rainfall?
Other tree suggestions ...
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Distinguishing between polyethylene and polypropylene plastic food packaging for recycling
I want to recycle as much food packaging plastic films as possible (I'm willing to clean and dry them). As far as I know, food packaging films are only made from 3 types of plastic: polyethylene (PE), ...
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Is boxed wine more ecofriendly than bottled wine?
In a few weeks I'll be hosting an event and will need to purchase wine for about 30 or 40 people. For myself and my partner, I typically purchase boxed wine as it stays fresh longer (assuming the wine ...
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Is cheese as bad as beef for the environment?
Among foods, beef is frequently noted as one of the biggest causes of global warming, particularly because cattle produce methane as part of their digestion. Cheese is less frequently discussed in ...
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What are the ecological effects of buying "imperfect produce"?
I have seen a few sites such as imperfectproduce.com, fullharvest.com, and hungryharvest.com. They sell food that they claim would otherwise go to waste because it would be hard to sell through ...
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Corn after humans
None of my farmer friends who grow corn for a living seem to have an answer for this. After an event that wipes out all/most human life, how long would fields planted with food corn be expected to ...
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How to make extracts and fragrances from fragrant plants like Sage
I'm looking to try using more natural products/solutions in our day to day life and some things that I am considering are fragrances, soaps and essences (food). I have read that Sage plants are edible ...
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Seaweed snacks without lots of packaging
My kids like seaweed snacks but there’s so much packaging. Alternatively I can buy crackers or raisins in large packages, reducing both the cost and packaging (plus if the package is cardboard it’s ...
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What are examples of perennial crops?
I just read this fascinating article on kernza, an alternative to wheat that is a perennial, rather than annual, crop. From the article, "Can This Breakfast Cereal Help Save The Planet?", this is ...
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Is the Food Cycler a good option for composting?
I do not have time to do a good job composting so the "Food Cycler Platinum Indoor Food Recycler" seems like a good idea despite its price. Does it release CO2 or methane? Does it consume so much ...
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What do I feed my snails?
So I've recently gotten into foraging and found a site called eattheinvaders.org that encourages people to eat invasive species. One of the most invasive species here in California is the common ...
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Carbon footprint of soy milk versus cow's milk
I am wondering about a specific carbon footprint comparison (i.e. total global warming potential per litre) between soy milk and cow's milk.
This would of course depend on where and how they are ...
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Freezing Ice Pops Sustainably
When storing ice pops for retail customers, I need to package them in a freezer-safe ,clear wrapping. I would like for it to be compostable, but apparently the compostable cellophane options are not ...
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Re-usable packaging options for cheese?
I have a vision for a model of grocery store that would buy food in bulk and package on-site into packaging which is 100% reusable or truly compostable (unlike many types of so-called "compostable ...
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What is an environmentally-conscious replacement for white yogurt?
I am looking for an environmentally conscious replacement for white yogurt. I do have a couple of ideas for foods that could work well, but I have very little clue if they are a better choice from the ...
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If everyone were to be vegetarian, what would be the carrying capacity of the Earth?
I'm not asking what will happen if everyone in the world suddenly turned to vegetarianism. In an ideal world with the current population, can everyone follow a vegetarian diet (except for people who ...
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How to source sustainable/ethical meat?
There seem to be a lot of resources out there for sourcing sustainably/ethically grown vegetables, but many of the ones I can find seem to be aimed primarily at vegetarians/vegans, and so don't have ...
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What is the environmental impact of meal kit subscriptions (Blue Apron, etc)?
According to Wikipedia, a meal-kit is...
...a subscription service that sends customers pre-portioned food ingredients and recipes for them to prepare homecooked meals.
Well-known examples include ...
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Is "buying local" sustainable, with reference to food made from animals?
No doubt vegetables, fruits and salads produced locally in most cases provide local jobs and usually best fresh quality. On the other hand a lot of animal food (soy, corn, and others) are shipped ...
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What feed is typically used in cricket farming?
Insect farming has been hailed by some as a sustainable alternative to animal agriculture because the requirements for land and water are much lower.
But just as livestock depend on plant food that ...
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How much soya is needed to produce a glass of cow's milk?
Producing soya beans is responsible for some significant amounts of deforestation in tropical areas and relying on soya introduces a demand for transportation in countries where soya is not grown.
I ...
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Which has a smaller footprint -- canned or frozen vegetables?
When fresh vegetables aren't an option, many sources indicate that frozen vegetables are generally better than canned (see here, here, and here, for example).
However, how do the environmental ...
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Will Koolatron cooler cool warm stuff?
We don't have any electricity, so we're thinking of purchasing this Koolatron cooler.
Most of the drinks I put in it (refreshment cans, water bottles, etc) will be warm/room-temperature.
Will it ...
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How does transportation cost depend on food?
Given that two foods requiring refrigeration have the same weight and volume and are being shipped from one location to another via the same method, how does the environmental impact of that ...
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What type of cheese has the lowest carbon footprint?
An answer to a question about the carbon footprint of cheese inspired this question.
According to Wikipedia, cheese can be made from the milk of several animals:
cows
goats
sheep
buffalo
reindeer
...
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Why does cheese have such a high carbon footprint?
(Source of information here)
As you can see, cheese has the third highest carbon footprint. Only beef and lamb have a higher footprint.
Several other sources (such as this) corroborate this.
Why is ...
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What's required for hydroponic farming in a container?
I have a container of size L 1.8 m × W 1.86 × H 1.73. I am planning to turn this into a hydroponic container for growing cooking greens (salad etc.). The thing that concerns me is the stuff I probably ...
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Useful plants to grow in garden [closed]
I am a guy living in Kerala, India. I have a plot of 5 cents (about 200 square meter) in my backyard. I would like to know which plants would be helpful for planting in the plot (edible fruits or ...
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Most eco-friendly staple food
I was wondering what the most eco-friendly high-starch food is — not per kg but per calorie — I am looking for something to eat large amounts of when hungry after my main meals. Thanks.
Grains and ...
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How different are small fruits and vegetables grocery stores from around the corner from big supermarkets?
When I buy fruits and vegetables in a small grocery store at the corner, I cannot help myself but think that—coming from the idea that "Small is Beautiful"—if I do my shoppings in these kinds of ...
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How do organic nuts differ from non-organic nuts?
Organic nuts are significantly more expensive than non-organic nuts. How do they difference with regards to the following exemplary aspects?
difference in pesticide use?
difference in large-scale vs....
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Do the veggies you eat today have the same amount of vitamins and minerals as they used to twenty years ago?
The RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowances) recommended to us by health experts are based on the amount of nutrition in fruits, vegetables, grains, etc. The RDA hasn't changed since decades.
Are any ...
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