Buying sustainably & ethically produced food

Supporting A Food System That’s Fair on The Environment

We all have the power to invest in the type of food system we want to be a part of. We have a simple choice as consumers, between food produced using unsustainable, intensive, industrialised agriculture – or food grown using sustainable and ethical practices. Unsustainable agriculture uses chemical inputs, as well as intensive mechanical systems which pollute waterways, degrade soil quality and contribute to carbon emissions.

Organic and sustainable practices, however, nourish the environment by using things like organic fertilisers and compost, crop rotation and companion planting to build longevity and resilience into our system of production. Sustainable and ethical production also is a factor in deciding on how we consume animal products – as factory farming and excessive commercial fishing are common throughout the meat and seafood industries. Choosing sustainably and ethically-produced food is one of the most important decisions we make as we work together towards a fair food system.

THE FACTS 

• Raising animals for food generates more greenhouse gas emissions than all the cars, trucks, trains, ships, and planes in the world combined. [1]
• There are numerous health risks associated with repeatedly ingesting chemicals from herbicides, pesticides, antibiotics, hormones and other stimulants used in industrial vegetable and animal farming. A build-up of these toxic chemicals in the human body can lead to various diseases including cancers, as well as having neurological, mental and reproductive effects.[2]
• The number of large fish species in Australian waters has declined by 30% in the past decade, mostly due to excessive fishing.[3]
• There are currently 1443 indigenous ingredients listed in the indigenous food database set up by the Orana Foundation in 2017.

[1] (UNFAO, 2006, Livestock’s Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.)
[2] Cohen M, 2007, ‘Environmental toxins and health–the health impact of pesticides’ School of Health Sciences, RMIT University, Victoria.
[3] “Rapid declines across Australian fishery stocks indicate global sustainability targets will not be achieved without an expanded network of ‘no‐fishing’ reserves”, Graham J. Edgar, Trevor J. Ward, Rick D. Stuart‐Smith, 2018