Food Choice and Sustainability

In Food Choice and Sustainability, Dr. Richard Oppenlander, sheds much-needed light on what may seem an unlikely spot: our dinner plates. Why do we rarely, if ever, hear about sustainability efforts that focus on food choice? Perhaps it’s not “convenient”; the prevailing cultural, social, and political influences in this country are linked to the current food production systems. Now, however, you have the opportunity to get the straight facts on this critical issue—and what you learn may surprise and alarm you. One such fact: “The largest contributing factor to all areas of global depletion is the raising and eating of more than 70 billion animals each year and the extracting of 1–2 trillion fish from our oceans annually.” And while you’re digesting that information, consider this: “Nearly 1 billion people are affected by hunger … Nevertheless, of the 2.5 billion tons of grain harvested … half was fed to animals in the meat and dairy industries.”