Fresh foods on the markets are a great addition to living a healthy lifestyle. However, from today’s standpoint, farmed products can lead to serious EMF food risks.
By 2050, there will approximately be 5 million deaths a year if the abuse of antibiotics and pesticides in livestock continues. The same is true for agricultural farming and the mismanagements if the use of fertilizers continues. Raising these concerns is the Cities and Circular Economy of Food, emphasizing the potential EMF food risks.
In the recent World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, reports were launched that stressed about the exponential damages caused by food production methods to the environment as well, not just to humans. Mismanaged manures and pesticide and fertilizer wastes contaminate soil, water, and air. In fact, a huge percentage of global greenhouse gas emissions are currently caused by hazardous methods of food production.
EMF Food Risks: Important Examples and Data.
An individual pays $2 for every $1 spent on food to pay environmental, health, and economic expenses. Adding it all up, that is $5.7 trillion each year. Moreover, this can have an effect on malnutrition, obesity, and related food consumption problems. These expenses are connected to the aspects listed below.
Pollution.
Using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides in livestock, as well as the mismanagements of waste can contaminate the water and air. Developing economies doing their food processing, distribution, and packaging, caused even greater pollution. This was all due to the poor food waste and by-product management. In addition, the major agricultural food industries are the globe’s second largest emitters of greenhouse gases. That said, they are accountable for a quarter of all manmade emissions.
A Degrading Natural Capital.
This is due to poor agricultural and livestock practices every year. From 2000 to 2010, the industry is accountable for about 73 percent of deforestations. Each year, 15 million hectares of fertile lands are lost. And around 70 percent of worldwide freshwater is used with high demand for agricultural purposes.
Finite Resources Extracted.
Massive amounts of finite resources are used for farming such as phosphorous and potassium. That said, fossil fuels still rely on the majority of activities for food productions. Such can be food-processing plants, rummaging on fields, and trucks deliveries. In continuance, an equivalent of 13 calories for every consumed food consumed, are burned to produce oil.
Waste.
Instead of valorizing the tons of preventable food waste and 2 percent of the valuable nutrients in food by-products, they are unfortunately dumped. In some major areas, by-product food nutrients are finally heading towards agricultural lands, thus decreasing the EMF food risks.
Long-term Solutions and Counteractions.
People who try to live and eat healthy by buying foods from the ‘Healthy’ sections of groceries are in grave danger. With that, EMF protection programs plan new methods and systems in food productions. This particular foundation wants to rely on home-grown food supplies. At the same time, it will introduce the regeneration of natural resources and offer proper waste disposal. With this, it will ultimately help improve byproduct use and redistribution. Thus, foods displayed on markets and groceries are free from harmful chemical residues and wastes. Have no doubt, the EMF food risks are real. Therefore, the need for finding respective solutions is more than necessary.
In addition, reports also claim that the proper elimination of waste and promotions for better health could also be beneficial to the global economy, and approximately $2.7 trillion a year will be earned. Also, there will be a massive decrease of $550 billion a year for health expenses due to using pesticides. In addition, water contamination, air pollution, food-borne diseases, and antimicrobial diseases would also reduce exponentially. Finally, a significant decrease in greenhouse gas emissions by 4.3 Gt C02e is also being eyed out and expected.
For example, big cities will play a major role in this agenda to improve food production. Moreover, they have the means to maneuver the shift to this health system as they will consume 80 % of the food by 2050. By minimizing edible food waste and recycling, we can manage to decrease the EMF food risks with ease.
What If the Proposed Solutions on EMF Food Risks Never Happen?
About 5 million lives will be exposed to EMF food risks by 2050. Of course, this lists water contamination, air pollution, as the major causes of EMF food risks. What is more, only up to two-thirds of the remaining global carbon budget should be used by food industries alone. This way, humanity will, at least, have a fighting chance against global warming and other environmental risks. Unfortunately, if this trend keeps up, the global economy will end up spending billions to deal with contaminations and pollutions.