Foodprints: how much we consume and how we can
reduce it
By Charina A. Javier
How big is your carbon footprint?
That is the question most environmental
conservation advocates usually ask.
Carbon footprint looks at the greenhouse gas
emissions produced by one's activities.
According to World Wide Fund for Nature
Philippines (WWF-Philippines), about 25 percent of a household's total carbon
footprint comes from food.
Routine activities, from growing and farming the
food we eat, to processing, transporting, storing, cooking and even disposing
the waste, all contribute to total carbon emissions.
In contrast, ecological footprint (EF) measures
how much of nature is used to produce resources and to absorb wastes by means
of existing technologies that translates to land area. The Philippines is among
the top ten ecological debtor countries in the world based on the Living Planet
Report 2008 of the WWF-Philippines.
This means that the Philippines consumes
resources more than what is available in terms of biocapacity.
The Philippines has a total biocapacity of 0.5
global hectares per person (gha/person).
Related to this, the Food and Nutrition Research
Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST) conducted a
study on the influence of environmental conditions on the nutritional status of
households in the National Capital Region (NCR) using the FNRI's 7th National
Nutrition Survey in 2008.
The study found that the total EF of the NCR was
4.6666 gha/person.
This was more than twice higher than the global
EF share of 2.1 gha/person indicating, that Filipinos living in the NCR use
greater amount of products and services more than what an average person
globally would consume.
The study also revealed that except for
Mandaluyong City, all the cities in the NCR were outside the sustainable limits
of their boundaries.
Thus, the cities of the NCR were among the
cities in the list of ecological debtors that will eventually face an
increasing risk from a growing dependence on the biocapacity of other regions.
Further, the study also found that the highest
consumption category contributing to the total EF of all cities was food, which
is about 95 percent.
Thus, food category alone exceeded the
Philippine total biocapacity. The highest contribution came from eating outside
the home, and intakes of beef and beef products.
In addition, a person who spends more on food,
clothing, shelter, electricity and water, among other resources, produces
higher EF and is more likely to have a higher body mass index (BMI), based on
the correlation analysis done.
The study recommends that in order to lessen the
strain contributed by food to the total EF in the NCR, residents must lessen
eating out, buy locally-produced products, and
policies on importation of food products must be reviewed before
implementation.
Here are some practical ways that our households
can do to reduce carbon footprint:
First, bring back home-cooking. Cooking our own
meal lets us choose fresh ingredients, including vegetables, fruits or
livestock from own backyard. It lessens consumption of processed food products.
It also reduces transportation costs when buying food outside of home or having
them delivered, thus, decreasing carbon emission from using vehicles. This
means that one should eat out at restaurants less often.
Second is cooking smartly. This includes cooking
only what you can consume to avoid food wastage, cooking food to just right
doneness, and using energy-efficient equipment.
Third, eat more greens. The closer we eat food
from its natural state, the safer it is and the lesser the carbon footprints we
leave.
Fourth, buy local and sustainably-produced food.
By this, we support not only our local farmers but also help in sustaining a
green planet. The farther the source of the food that we buy, the bigger is our
carbon contribution.
Fifth, shop wisely and choose foods carefully.
Make a shoplist when going to the market to avoid going back and forth when
missing buying an item. Choose fresh, natural products, if possible. Remember,
frozen food has the highest carbon footprint.
Sixth, eat organic, and grow your own food.
Growing our own food assures us that the food we are cooking and eating are
fresh, safe and nutritious. This also saves money, relieves stress through the
joy of gardening, and makes a greener environment.
Seventh, drink less bottled water. Don't buy if
tap water is safe to drink, or bring your own filled-up water container.
Other green practices that we can do include
reducing or recycling waste, using less packaging, saving water, thinking green
construction, using energy efficiently, and going into renewable energy.
Each of us can do something to reduce our carbon
footprint.
We can make a difference from choosing the kind
of food we eat to using energy efficiently in saving our environment and
improving our nutritional status in the long run.
For more information about food and nutrition,
contact: Dr. Mario V. Capanzana, Director, Food and Nutrition Research
Institute, Department of Science and Technology, Bicutan, Taguig City;
Trunkline: 837-2071 local 2296 or 2287; Telephone/Fax No.: 837-3164; e-mail:
mvc@fnri.dost.gov.ph or mar_v_c@yahoo.com; Website: http://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph
(FNRI S&T Media Services/PIA-Caraga)
Feature: Healthy brown choices
By Abbie L. Padrones
MANILA, July 19 (PIA) - The interest for new
functional food alternatives has been steadily growing in the Philippines.
In response to this increasing demand, the Food
and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology
(FNRI-DOST), the leader in nutrition and research, developed healthy and
delicious brown rice products.
Brown rice is utilized as the main ingredient
for the power bar, cereal for babies six months to two years old, and cereal
beverage for all children and adults, as part of a nationwide campaign to
utilize brown rice.
Brown rice is rich in dietary fibers, phytic
acids vitamins B1, B3, and B6 needed for efficient metabolism and maintaining
good health systems.
Brown rice also contains Gamma-aminobutyric acid
(GABA), which promotes relaxation and sleep. It also helps prevent seizures and
chronic pain.
In spite of its nutritional benefits, only a
marginal population consumes brown rice because of its cost, shorter shelf-life
and traditional customs favoring milled rice.
The National Year of Rice was celebrated last
year with efforts of promoting brown rice included in the celebration.
Studies on brown rice were conducted by the FNRI
to improve its texture, prolong the shelf-life and improve convenience in
cooking.
A recipe book featuring brown rice was also
developed to offer varied cooking options and increase brown rice appreciation.
Processed functional foods such as beverages,
complementary foods and snack foods were also developed to diversify the use of
brown rice.
These innovative formulations include the brown
rice power bar (BRB), brown rice cereal for babies six months to two years old
(BRCB), and germinated brown rice beverage (GBRB).
Power in a Brown Bar
A convergence of good taste, healthy diet and convenience
describes the new power bar of FNRI.
This nutty snack food has a sweet caramel taste
and has the perfect blend of rich, soft, chewy and crunchy texture.
The power bar is high in fiber, rich in calcium,
magnesium, phosphorus and is suitable for all ages.
Brown Rice Cereal
Eating healthy foods should start as early as
the weaning period of six months when we introduce complementary food.
Nutrient analysis shows that the brown rice
cereal is high in calories, phosphorus and calcium.
Aside from the health benefits of the
complementary food, the FNRI improved the ease of preparing a healthy brown
rice cereal by using the extrusion technology.
Extrusion renders the cereal cooked; thereby
adding hot water completes the preparation.
Germinated Brown Rice Beverage
High-energy cereal drinks are healthy breakfast
alternatives. The fiber-dense germinated brown rice beverage has a refreshing
chocolatey flavor and taste, and is suitable children and young adults.
For more information about food and nutrition,
contact: Dr. Mario V. Capanzana, Director, Food and Nutrition Research
Institute, Department of Science and Technology, Bicutan, Taguig City;
Trunkline: 837-2071 local 2296 or 2287; Telephone/Fax No.: 837-3164; e-mail:
mvc@fnri.dost.gov.ph or mar_v_c@yahoo.com; Website: http://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph
(FNRI S&T Media Services/PIA-Caraga)
