Why food?
When it comes to the climate emergency and the nature crisis we can’t ignore food. How and what we farm, fish, eat and dispose of are some of the biggest contributors to climate change and the loss of nature. Industrial animal farming, unsustainable fishing, plants grown in intensive monocultures and overly processed food have created an unsustainable and inequitable food system that is not only having a negative impact on the climate and nature, but also on animal welfare, farm workers, food cultures, and our health
Student demand
Student demand for sustainable food is clear. In our 2021 survey of over 1200 students, 78% said they would be willing to change their diet to reduce their environmental impact. This shows a substantial increase since our 2018 survey of 1500 students, when 52% said that if they knew more about the environmental impacts of food production they would be willing to make changes to reduce their impact.
71% of students in our 2021 survey said it was important or very important that the food available on campus at their university contributes positively to health, the environment and producers; and 73% said that if this was the case it would make them feel proud of their university.
The tertiary education sector has an opportunity to respond to student demand and create food offerings on campus where climate and nature friendly food is the norm. Fixing the food, farming and fishing system by procuring and selling more sustainable food is one of the key ways to avert climate change and restore nature but this must be done in a holistic way that ensures equitable access to nutritious, culturally appropriate, and affordable food for all.
The climate and nature emergency
Food production methods, and their impact on both our climate and nature, vary from country to country and from farm to farm. There is just one consistency across the world: intensive farming and fishing practices are the main drivers of biodiversity loss on land and at sea and intensive meat production is one of the main causes of food related carbon emissions. The global food system accounts for 21-37% of greenhouse gas emissions with meat and dairy being significant contributors. All animal proteins have a higher carbon impact than plant proteins, and globally it is beef and lamb that contribute the most. It is widely agreed that the solution in the UK however is not simply to ban beef and lamb, it is to eat less and better produced meat and dairy.
Another major contributor to climate change is food waste; this accounts for 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This is around 25 million tonnes of CO2e – the same as 10 million cars on UK roads – but research shows that 70% of people in the UK believe they have no food waste.