Water and Energy in the Food Industry

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Ohio State University *

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Geography

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Oct 30, 2023

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9/25/2023 1 Water and Energy issues in the U.S. food industry and their impact on sustainability Valente B. Alvarez Food Industries Center 2 Content 1 2

9/25/2023 2 3 Background Food processing has an important impact on the environment and the most important resources affected are fresh water, land, and energy. 4 Situation/problem • Water is becoming scarce • Food companies are reducing water usage , to save money and become more sustainable. • Energy by the U.S. food system has been reported as 16.5 % of all U.S . energy consumption . U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service (ERS), 2010 . • Estimated global volume of food wastage is 1.6 Gtonnes of “primary product equivalents”, • The total wastage for the edible part of food is 1.3 Gtonnes . • Americans trashed about133 billion lb . out of the 430 billion lb. of edible and available food • Great impacts on sustainability . 3 4

9/25/2023 3 5 •Carbon footprint and Water footprint •Land use •Biodiversity, genes, species, and ecosystems. •Deforestation •Poverty •Governance •Health •Education •Demographics •Naturalhazards •Atmosphere •Economic development •Global economic partnership •Consumption and production patterns. Indicators United Nations, 2007 6 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Gtonnes (CO 2 eq) Carbon footprint-Huella de Carbono A product’s carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) it emits throughout its life cycle, expressed in kilograms of CO 2 equivalents. FAO, 2013 5 6

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9/25/2023 4 7 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 km 2 of blue water *Blue water footprint FAO, 2013; Hoeskstra and Mekonnen, 2012 Agricultural production contributes 92%. • average consumer (27%) • meat (22%) • milk products (7%) • consumptive use of rainwater (green WF). • ground and surface water (blue WF)* • volumes of water polluted (gray WF). 8 Water waste in the food industry 7 8

9/25/2023 5 9 Water Scarcity • Water is a scarce resource in some U.S.A regions • Food companies are reducing water usage primarily for that reason, save money and become ever more sustainable. • Only 0.13 % of the total water is available for use in nature beyond the oceans. • Water available for human use (including the food chain) is 4000 to 16,000 liters per capita per day. • It takes 800 gallons of water to produce enough food for one person in a single day. U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service (ERS), 2010; waterfootprint.org 10 U.S. situation • NASA tracks the global groundwater supply. • Climate change's amplifying effects: • extreme flooding, drought, and groundwater depletion. • Without coordinated and proactive management, the aquifers will deplete their groundwater reserves. http://www.theatlanticcities.com 9 10

9/25/2023 6 11 Hoekstra and Mekonnen, 2012 Agricultural water footprint 92% Industrial water footprint 4.4% Domestic water footprint 3.6% World Water Foot Print-Huella Hidrica Irrigation of wheat is the process that takes the largest share (33%) in India ’s blue WF, followed by irrigation of rice (24%). 12 Product Categories Share to the Global WF Hoekstra and Mekonnen, 2012 • cereals consumption(27%) • meat (22%) • milk products (7%) 11 12

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9/25/2023 7 13 Energy waste in the food industry 14 • Food production increase requires more carbon- based fuels and nitrogen-based fertilizers • global warming • river and ocean pollution • host of other ills. • Energy for the U.S. food system is 6.5 % of the total U.S. energy consumption • The food energy to feed the world’s 7 billion people is about 25 quads* a year. About 5% of the world’s 500 quads of annual consumption. *1 quad=1.055x10 18 Joules Relation Food-Energy May et al , 2013; Webber, 2012 13 14

9/25/2023 8 15 Significant Energy Consumption • Extensive energy use has dramatically increased food production through innovations such as: • diesel-powered tractors • electric irrigation and pumps • fertilizers and pesticides made from natural gas and petroleum. Fertilizers contribute significantly to the overall impact of industrialized agriculture. • The greatest source of GHG emissions from fertilizer production is the energy required, which emits CO 2 , When fossil-fuel prices were low, pollution or emissions, and energy waste was not a concern. 16 Iniciatives in U.S. • Crop yields have transformed deserts such as the Central Valley of California into the world’s fruit baskets. • Improve the food-energy converting agricultural waste products into power. • Anaerobic digesters and micro turbines convert manure into renewable, low- carbon biogas-fired electricity to displace 2.5% of the nation’s power generation. 15 16

9/25/2023 9 17 • Defined as the sum of all processes and measures to ensure minimal energy consumption. • Organizations are forced to: • Have higher standards of efficient production • Introduce energy management programs Energy Management IFIP AICT 397, 2012 18 Summary Multidimensional indicators show the links among the community's economy, environment, and society. Water Increasing demand of this resource in the food industry require a global plan and international regulations in order to reduce the WF in the world . Energy The standard regulations can improve the use of energy, but standards are needed for worldwide implementation. 17 18

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9/25/2023 10 19 • http://www.fao.org/ • http://www.nrdc.org/ • http://www.bsr.org/ • http://www.epa.gov/smm/foodrecovery/ • http://www.iso.org/iso/ • http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/ • http://www.waterfootprint.org/ • http://www.conagrafoods.com/news-room/ Sites of interest 19