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5.3 Sustainablefoodto improvehealthandwellbeing

Learningintention

• Describehowyoucanapplytheknowledgeofsustainablelivingtoyourlife,andproposehowyoucan improveyour environmentalfootprint.

5.3.1 Sustainabilityandyour health

Justastherearesocial,culturalandeconomicfactorsthatinfluenceourhealth,ourenvironmentalsoaffectsour health.Living inamoreenvironmentallysustainablewaycanhelpbothyourownhealthandthehealthofyour community.

Engage

Lookattheinfographicinfigure5.9.Choosethetwostatisticsthatsurprisedyouthemost.Then,answerthe followingquestions.

• Whyis thissuchaproblem?

• Whatcanwedotostopthisproblem?

Shareyour ideaswiththeclass.

Foodwastefacts

Australia’s food waste facts

• 7.6 million tonnes of food is lost or wasted every year — about 20 per cent of the food we buy is thrown away.

• Wasted food in landfill gives out a greenhouse gas called methane, a stronger pollutant than car exhaust.

• Throwing out food also means the money, water, land and effort taken to produce it has been wasted.

• We waste 18 per cent of the food we buy, and 70 per cent of that food is still edible.

• The hospitality industry wastes 65 per cent of food during food preparation.

• Around 20–40 per cent of fruit and vegetables are wasted before they even hit the shelf due to not looking ‘perfect’ enough for consumers.