The pandemic has exposed what scientists have long been warning about – our global food supply is so broken, disconnected, and insufficient that drastic changes must be made in order to feed the world healthily and sustainably.

The global food supply chain was among the hardest hit amidst the coronavirus pandemic with 265 million people possibly facing starvation to closed meat plants causing empty supermarket shelves. Here are 10 things that the coronavirus has shed light on. 

1. Commercially grown food isn’t easily repurposed

Food that is grown for food service is currently being thrown away, as global F&B businesses continue to be shuttered as a part of coronavirus containment measures. While some may wonder why they aren’t just being transferred to retail – social media has been flooded with images of empty supermarket shelves – it’s an entirely different system to repurpose commercially grown crops that were originally destined for wholesale into prepared and packaged products. And getting it shipped on trucks to grocery stores is another step in the process that is difficult to organise, not to mention expensive. So instead, farmers are now being forced to dispose of millions of pounds of fresh vegetables and fruit into fields and landfills – all the while the World Food Programme warns of widespread famines of “Biblical proportions” in a recent report. 

2. Livestock workers are especially vulnerable to illness

What the collapse of the US meat supply chain revealed is the inherent dangers of work in the animal meat industry. Processors and manufacturers were prompted to shut down due to a labour shortage caused by rapid outbreaks of Covid-19 amongst employees in 2020 and 2021, who are at greater risk of contracting the disease due to the nature of the work itself, working in close proximity on the job, and low wages that tend to mean living in cramped quarters. We can see similar outbreaks in other poorly paid jobs that mostly employ marginalised communities, such amongst Singapore’s migrant worker population that bore the brunt of the cases in the city-state. 

3. Food and farm workers work in inhumane conditions

From meat packers to fishermen and agricultural farm workers, the pandemic has hailed these food and farm workers as “heroic essential workers” that are keeping the critical food supply chain going. However, they continue to lack the very basic protections they deserve to ensure their workplace safety. Many relief measures and stimulus packages excluded food workers, which left many in the sector without any basic personal protective equipment such as face masks and hand sanitisers whilst their working conditions mean that physical distancing is impossible. But putting food and farm workers at greater risk of infection doesn’t just jeopardise their lives and safety – it is threatening food security as a whole and factory worker outbreaks have pushed meat supply chain to breaking point. It is clear that these inhumane conditions and practices must come to an end if we are to ensure the health of the entire food system. 

4. Farmers don’t make enough money 

On top of this, farmers and food workers tend to continue dangerous work because they have to face an agonising choice between staying at home and going for weeks, potentially months, with no income. Or they can continue working, getting paid around 15 cents on the dollar, and risk infection – no pay for sick leave, no extra pay for hazardous working conditions. Incredibly poorly paid work perpetuates the problem – while they uphold critical food supply chains, the sector employs mainly people from marginalised communities who tend to work in cramped spaces where the chances of spread of the disease are much higher and have little access to affordable healthcare. 

5. We are too dependent on carbon-intensive meat

Meat is one of the industries hardest hit by the pandemic, with Tyson Foods’ CEO warning that the meat supply chain is “breaking”. As it so happens, animal-based products are some of the most carbon intensive in the world. Figures from the UN show the animal agriculture industry generates around 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions – more than all transportation combined – and uses around 70 percent of arable land, in the process driving destructive practices such as deliberate deforestation, as well as contributing to biodiversity loss and water pollution. Scientists have reiterated time and time again that in order to avoid total climate collapse, we need to shift to a plant-centric food system. The industry that we are over-reliant on for the world’s source of protein is breaking, and is the very industry that is driving our climate and ecological emergency. 

6. Carbon-intensive industrial meat is driving disease 

Industrial meat isn’t just driving the climate crisis, it is one of the root causes of disease outbreaks. The world’s top biodiversity and wildlife experts have recently said that it is the combination of “rampant deforestation, uncontrolled expansion of agriculture, intensive farming, mining and infrastructure development, as well as the exploitation of wild species have created a ‘perfect storm’ for the spillover of diseases.” It is all these anthropogenic activities – particularly animal agriculture that has fuelled deforestation and mass biodiversity loss, which we saw earlier happen in the 2019 Amazon rainforest fires, that has increased the risk of zoonotic disease outbreaks. Our ever-rising contact with animals over the years has meant that 70 percent of all emerging human diseases now come from them. If there’s one thing to learn from the current Covid-19 pandemic, it is that we have to change the way our food system produces protein. 

Read: Preventing another pandemic – what’s the link between coronavirus and factory farming?

7. We rely too much on food imports

In the past years, trade and globalisation has meant that the food trade is more diverse and expansive than ever before. Proteins, produce and grains in one end of the planet can end up in another in a matter of days. But this increased reliance on international trade for our food supply has dramatically decreased countries’ resilience to external shocks such as export bans and interruptions, which we’re currently seeing due to the coronavirus. Places like Singapore and Hong Kong are especially vulnerable as our food supply chain essentially places “all eggs in one basket” with over 90 percent of food being imported, and now tariffs and travel restrictions are raising concerns about food shortages and price spikes. 

8. Investing in urban farms is vital

Coronavirus has shown how inefficient shipping staple fresh produce across thousands of miles from one continent to another. Singapore has quickly realised the need to pivot, and has recently launched a new S$30 million (US$21 million) fund to boost local food production by turning rooftop car parks into urban farms and supporting vertical hydroponic farms. More cities need to start ramping up self-sufficiency by investing in urban farms for locally produced foods that can weather external shocks – whether it be shocks caused by pandemics like the coronavirus or climate-related disasters. 

9. We’re wasting a third of all food produced

We still haven’t solved the issue of global hunger, and this issue is getting even more severe due to the Covid-19 crisis, with at least 265 million people being pushed to the brink of starvation, which is double the number of people who were already under threat prior to the pandemic. Yet we waste 30 percent of all food produced – a number that is likely to be far higher now as farm workers and food manufacturers, as mentioned previously, are having to throw away fresh produce and cull millions of livestock animals due to lockdowns, infection outbreaks and travel restrictions. Food that doesn’t get eaten also represents a massive source of waste – land, water, energy, soil, seeds – all of which contributes at least 10% of global carbon emissions that is accelerating the rate of global heating. The world will need to battle a population of 10 billion by 2050 in a climate-stricken planet – and the coronavirus pandemic is exposing the need to solve these interconnected issues of hunger and food waste.  

10. Restaurants have been struggling for a long time, even before coronavirus 

Restaurants had been having trouble making money before the pandemic struck. In an op-ed published in the New York Times, renowned chef Gabrielle Hamilton detailed the heartbreaking experience of having to close down her bistro Prune. “The coronavirus did not suddenly shine light on an unknown fragility. We’ve all known, and for a rather long time,” she wrote, referring to the difficulty for the industry to grapple with the market’s demanding “grow or go” tactics, ever-rising costs and the takeover of delivery firms. Restaurants simply weren’t succeeding anymore, they were barely surviving. Owner-chefs who are looking to offer good, honest food in a warm environment can barely make ends meet. The only F&B winners in this margin killing industry are large chains. Is this the food landscape we want?

Lead image courtesy of Alistair Scott / Alamy.

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Easter is such a fun holiday for kids, but it’s not exactly the most fun for the planet. All the plastic eggs and dairy-filled chocolate bunnies aren’t sustainable, and they aren’t good for our health, either. But there are some easy swaps you can make to green up the spring holiday. Below are 7 ways that you can enjoy the weekend without causing any harm to the environment.  

1. Create Easter bunny decorations using toilet rolls 

Don’t throw away the cardboard tube once you’ve emptied the toilet or kitchen roll – save it to upcycle them into decorations. You can cut and stick on ears to make Easter bunnies, add wings to make little decorative chicks, and draw on noses and eyes. 

2. Make some vegan chocolate Easter eggs

Get cooking and make some chocolate Easter eggs as a family. It’s easy, fun, and festive. There are plenty of dairy-free and vegan recipes online, like this super simple Vegan Creme Egg recipe by A Virtual Vegan. 

3. Makeshift Easter egg hunt 

Now before the family tucks into your delicious plant-based chocolate Easter eggs, turn the Easter egg hunt eco. You can hide the eggs (wrap them in reusable wrapping/container, or in paper packaging) around the house or yard and get the kids to hunt for them! Then, save the eggs for the next year.

4. Egg and spoon race at home 

You can also host a family egg and spoon race using those delicious vegan chocolate eggs. Alternatively, you can use sweets or any other objects you can find at home. All you need are a couple of spoons, and you can easily set up a track from one end of your living room to another. 

5. Make vegan hot cross buns

Whip up more goodies for your Easter lunch. Hot cross buns are traditionally served and made with dairy, but you can always make your own vegan version using an alternative recipe, like this one by Delightful Adventures. 

6. Storytelling time 

Easter represents a special time to sit as a family and enjoy each other’s company, and storytelling is a great way to bond together. Parents can tell their stories about their own childhood memories over Easter, and kids can talk about what they love most about the holiday. 

7. Garden planting

Easter marks the beginning of the Spring season, making it the perfect time to do some planting together at home. From flowers to herbs, create your own garden indoors. Having a get together with other families? It’s a great activity for kids instead of sending them home with empty plastic eggs.

Lead image courtesy of Getty Images / Gpointstudios.

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Hong Kong-based independent face mask brand Maskology has announced a new partnership with environmental nonprofit A Plastic Ocean Foundation to begin developing biodegradable disposable face masks. While anti-plastic campaigners have long called for a switch to reusable options, high-risk populations and personal preferences may still be a barrier to adopting more sustainable face coverings. By offering the public a biodegradable single-use option, the collaboration hopes to be able to tackle the burden the pandemic has had on the world’s plastic waste crisis. 

In a bid to curb the astronomical plastic waste associated with disposable face masks over the past year of the coronavirus pandemic, Maskology and A Plastic Ocean Foundation have teamed up to develop eco-friendly biodegradable face masks, the company announced on Tuesday (February 23). 

So far, current figures estimate that 1.56 billion face coverings have already entered the ocean in 2020 alone, wreaking havoc on marine ecosystems and contributing to harmful microplastics pollution entering back into our food chain. 

The project, called the “For The Planet Series”, will see Maskology launch several brand new editions of masks over the course of 2021. In the first phase of the collaboration, slated to begin in March, the brand will slash 80% of plastic materials used and remove 100% of the paper used in its non-essential packaging, as well as inform the public on proper disposal and recycling of face masks on its on-pack labels.

Later on, Maskology aims to increase the use of biodegradable materials in its face masks to two-thirds of the total fabrics used. By the third phase, the company says all fabrics in its eco-friendly mask series will be made from biodegradable fabrics, and will seek to replace unsustainable materials in the rest of its product lines. 

As part of the partnership with A Plastic Ocean Foundation, the charity behind the award-winning 2016 documentary A Plastic Ocean directed by Craig Leeson, Maskology will be redirecting a portion of the sales from the new project to support the organisation’s clean up initiatives on beaches and hiking trails in Hong Kong. 

Ultimately, the Hong Kong mask maker says that it hopes the project will drive a new “sustainable mask manufacturing ecosystem” in Hong Kong, especially as the pandemic continues to linger on, and experts predicting that mask-wearing will continue to be the norm in the months to come. 

The development of sustainable versions of single-use masks is particularly important for high-risk groups such as the elderly or those who are immunocompromised, or those who for personal preferences have opted for disposable face coverings to ensure the safest possible protection against the spread of Covid-19. 

But environmental experts still suggest that the public should opt for reusable face coverings whenever possible, as the fastest and most effective measure to slash our plastic footprint. 

Now there are many companies making reusable masks and the government is also handing reusable masks out – it is possible to now phase out single-use ones for the general population, and many people are beginning to make the gradual switch.

Gary Stokes, Founder & Director, OceansAsia

Gary Stokes, founder and director of Hong Kong NGO OceansAsia, the organisation that made headlines documenting the 100-metre-long beach on Soko Islands scattered with disposable face masks in March 2020, told Green Queen Media in a previous interview that now that we’re living with the coronavirus pandemic, there needs to be a mass shift where possible to non-disposable coverings.  

“At the beginning, there had been a panic. Now there are many companies making reusable masks and the government is also handing reusable masks out – it is possible to now phase out single-use ones for the general population, and many people are beginning to make the gradual switch,” said Stokes. 

It’s a call that Hong Kong secondary school student Gaurika Pant echoed in her research, which estimated at least 35.6 million disposable face masks could be saved every single week in Hong Kong if people made the switch to reusables. 

On a daily basis, people still use a lot of single-use plastics, and we need to find ways to encourage reusable items.

Gaurika Pant

Scientists have reiterated that reusable containers, cups and cutlery are safe to use during the Covid-19 pandemic, as long as they are properly washed and sanitised before and after use. 

But both Stokes and Pant warn that the problem isn’t just with face masks, and that anti-plastic behavioural shifts must be made in all aspects of life, from the disposable cutlery offered in takeaways to single-use plastic bottles and straws. 

“On a daily basis, people still use a lot of single-use plastics, and we need to find ways to encourage reusable items,” Pant told Green Queen Media. 

“Let’s not forget the bigger story. Masks are just one of the many items we’re leaving behind to pollute the environment, but it’s just very relevant and current right now. The masks should serve as a massive wake up call for a bigger step up in our anti-plastic efforts across the board,” said Stokes. 

Lead image courtesy of Maskology.

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By: Mongabay

The world is not prepared for climate change, a new U.N. report warns, highlighting how far behind countries have fallen in implementing adaptation measures.

“The hard truth is that climate change is upon us,” Inger Andersen, executive director of the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP), said at a press briefing Jan. 14. “Its impacts will intensify and hit vulnerable countries and communities the hardest — even if we meet the Paris Agreement goals of holding global warming this century to well below 2°C and pursuing 1.5°C.”

Even the 2°C (3.6°F) goal enshrined in the global climate agreement may seem like wishful thinking at the moment. The planet is set to warm by 3°C (5.4°F) above pre-industrial levels just this century, with 2020 tied with 2016 as the hottest year on record.

Yet more than a quarter of the countries still don’t have a single national-level adaptation planning instrument.

There isn’t just a lack of adequate policies and planning, but also major financing shortfalls.

By mid-century, adaptation costs could total up to $500 billion for developing countries alone. Developed countries are responsible for a majority of the historical carbon emissions and should play a bigger role in mitigating the climate crisis, experts at the UNEP press briefing agreed.

Reports like UNEP’s “Adaptation Gap Report 2020” do more than raise alarm; they are also a call for action. The Paris climate treaty signed in 2015 is a voluntary agreement, which relies on global advocacy to pressure countries into honoring their commitments.

Adaptation financing is currently far short of what experts say is needed, at $30 billion per year, or only 5% of the total fund set aside to tackle climate change. The latter itself is deemed too little to ward off the risks posed by climate change.

COVID-19 has also pushed planning for climate change down the list of priorities for most countries. “There is no vaccine for climate change,” Andersen said.

Though some progress has been made, it has not translated into actual resilience against climate change impacts ranging from wildfires, droughts, floods to sea-level rise. Fewer than five out of 100 adaptation projects have yielded any benefits to date, a survey of 1,700 projects found.

While everyone agrees that climate change presents a global challenge, experts emphasize that adapting to these changes will have to happen at many levels. Adaptation measures include installing climate information and early-warning systems, safeguarding people in affected areas, and green investments.

At the same time, there is a growing emphasis on employing nature-based solutions that simultaneously improve the environment and human well-being.

Investing in adaptation initiatives could yield returns that are three times the cost, the Global Commission on Adaptation has estimated.

The new report complements UNEP’s “Emissions Gap Report 2020,” which tracks how countries are faring in keeping global temperature rise below 2°C. “The more we mitigate, the less we have to adapt, and the costs of adaptation are going to be much, much lower,” said Henry Neufeldt, head of impact assessment and adaptation at UNEP.

However, unlike the emissions reduction targets that are part of the Paris Agreement, there are no comparable targets for adaptation. “We don’t know exactly how much adaptation finance is needed because the goals are not clear, the targets are not clear, there is no agreed-upon goal on adaptation at national and global levels,” Neufeldt said.

Despite this, U.N. officials stressed there is a massive shortfall in funding and that there is a need to distribute the funds available to reflect the gravity of the threats.

“We need a global commitment to put half of all global climate finance towards adaptation in the next year,” Andersen said. “This will allow a huge step up in adaptation — in everything from early warning systems to resilient water resources to nature-based solutions.”

This story originally appeared in Mongabay and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalistic collaboration to strengthen coverage of the climate story.

Lead image courtesy of UNEP.

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For the past five years, The Lancet Countdown has tracked over 40 indicators on the connection between health and climate change. In this year’s review, experts are warning that unless urgent actions and a global concerted effort is taken to tackle the climate crisis, there will be more frequent and deadlier health emergencies to come. As we continue to battle the climate emergency and coronavirus pandemic that started with a zoonotic disease, it has never become more clear that an aligned response must now be taken, say the scientists. Bringing to the table a whole range of policies that are required to combat the “converging” health and climate crises, here are the main takeaways set out in the The Lancet Countdown 2020 report. 

1. Every country will suffer from climate change

New data from the report reveals that within the last two decades, there has been a 54% increase in heat-related deaths in older people all over the world – with a record 2.9 billion additional days of heatwave exposure affecting people over the age of 65 in 2019. That’s almost twice the previous record high. This record heat and drought will also be driving sharp increases in exposure to other climate-related phenomena around the globe, from wildfires that result in heart and lung damage from smoke inhalation to fuelling displacement of communities. Since the 2000s, around 128 countries have experienced an uptick in the number of people exposed to wildfires, with the U.S. ranking among the highest. The Lancet report further finds that 565 million people will be displaced by sea-level rise by the end of the century under current projections. As the authors write in the report: “No country is immune from the health impacts of worsening climate change.”

2. Degradation of nature is driving both ecological breakdown and the spread of zoonoses  

“The causes of both crises share commonalities, and their effects are converging,” wrote the Lancet researchers. “The climate emergency and Covid-19, a zoonotic disease, are both borne of human activity that has led to environmental degradation. Neither the climate emergency nor a zoonotic pandemic were unexpected.” Outlining 43 indicators in total, the new report shows that everything from heat-related mortality to migration and the available urban green spaces is linked to both human and planetary health. The very factors that help drive the emergence of zoonotic diseases – such as intensive farming, the international trade of exotic animals, destruction of wildlife habitats, unsustainable urbanisation – also come with real stresses on our health systems, climate change, global food security and air pollution. 

3. We cannot treat health and climate risks separately 

Because the two are so interrelated, the experts reiterate that treating these risks separately will not be possible if we are to combat both crises. “Treating these resultant health conditions effectively depends on health systems’ capacity, which is in turn dependent on the resilience of health services that are increasingly stretched in response to the two crises,” the report says. Ian Hamilton, executive director of the Lancet Countdown, added that “this year’s devastating U.S. wildfires and tropical storms in the Caribbean and Pacific, coinciding with the pandemic, have tragically illustrated that the world doesn’t have the luxury of dealing with one crisis at a time.”

4. The world must prioritise green Covid-19 rebuilding 

While the climate crisis has “slipped” from the very top of the global agenda this year, the experts warn governments that it is not the time to show indifference to climate action or use the immediacies of the pandemic as an excuse for delayed climate efforts. “As governments embark on economic recovery plans in the wake of Covid-19, concerns for climate change and equity are rightly focused on a green recovery,” say the over 120 clinicians and scientists who contributed to the Lancet Countdown review. “Decisions being made now must tackle both crises together to ensure the most effective response to each.” One of the emphasised measures that all governments are urged to work towards is the rapid transition to renewable energy sources to eliminate the “stranglehold” of fossil fuels. This can translate into reducing the whopping 7 million annual deaths associated with air pollution as a direct result from fossil fuel burning each year. 

5. Shifting to low-carbon diets will be part of a sustainable recovery 

Given that global food production accounts for an estimated quarter of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions while 9 million annual deaths are linked to having a poor diet, the experts say that a core part of a climate and health response will be to incentivise a drastic shift to low-carbon diets. What does a healthy low-carbon diet look like? Well, with nearly a fifth of the world’s carbon emissions stemming from livestock farming while low-meat and dairy diets being linked to a plethora of health benefits, including the lowered risk of death from all causes, the scientists point to a plant-centric diet as key to achieving a sustainable recovery that tackles both converging crises at once. Data from a number of recent papers have detailed this, including the G20 Food Footprint by EAT and a major peer-reviewed study by researchers at the University of Oxford and Minnesota. 

Lead image courtesy of Unsplash.

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The need for greater investments in green jobs is at the top of the youth climate agenda for 2021 according to a new report, compiled by the UN Secretary General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change and published on December 17.

According to the youth advisors, there is increasing anxiety among ‘Generation COVID’ about the dual climate and the youth unemployment crises, combined with a lack of prioritization in COVID stimulus packages of green jobs and a just transition to a resilient, net-zero emissions global economy. 

The summary report was compiled by the first official youth advisors to the UN Secretary-General on climate change and presents the top climate concerns for young people and the most urgent actions needed by world leaders in 2021.

 According to the report:

• Investing in green jobs and training, and empowering youth entrepreneurs is critical, as is holding decision-makers to account and prevent ‘greenwashing’. 
• Polluter bail-outs with public money are causing widespread anger among young people, and must cease.  
• A just transition to a net-zero emissions future is essential, including for communities that currently rely on fossil fuels.  Instead of bailing out polluters, governments must provide resources to reskill affected workers.
• Indigenous people and local communities must have their rights respected and enforced, and be included in climate action decision-making, so their traditional knowledge can be harnessed in the fight against climate change.
• The need for climate education, including diverse perspectives, is crucial for climate action, including LGBTQ+, indigenous and traditional people, people with special needs, and refugees and displaced persons.
• Protection of forests and ecosystems is essential, as is recognizing the potential of oceans to tackle the climate crisis, including through a global network of ocean sanctuaries.  Laws must be strengthened, and violations punished, under international law.

“The report shows that the climate and health crises are unfolding together with the youth unemployment crisis, and there is a lot of concern that green jobs and a just transition are not being prioritized in COVID stimulus packages.  Many young people are worried that progress on these fronts can be held back by greenwashing,” said Vladislav Kaim, a member of the Youth Advisory Group.

The report follows an extensive consultation process with young climate leaders from all regions on the Secretary-General’s calls to broaden the global coalition for a net-zero emissions future and recover better from the pandemic to drive forwards all 17 of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The summary report – including other priority concerns and calls-to-action – can be seen here.

This article was originally written by the U.N. Department of Global Communications and is being republished here as part of Green Queen Media’s partnership with the SDG Media Compact, aimed at raising awareness and sharing information about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

Lead image courtesy of the United Nations.

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Amidst the economic fallout as a result of the pandemic, Impossible Foods has managed to grow its retail footprint by nearly 100-fold, the plant-based meat startup outlined in its new report. Detailing its new sustainability data and the “extraordinary impact” the coronavirus crisis has had in pushing mass consumers towards safer and sustainable meat alternatives in its annual 2020 impact report, Impossible says that this year has been its “largest operational expansion” since its founding in 2011. 

Published earlier this month, Impossible Foods’ annual impact report has revealed how Covid-19 has accelerated its expansion as the plant-based industry benefits from the demand boost, driven by shoppers’ concerns about the dangers of the meat supply chain and renewed interest in health and sustainability. Titled Turn Back the Clock, the paper outlines how the startup’s retail footprint has increased by almost 100-times this year alone in what is described as “by far the biggest operational expansion in the company’s 10-year history”. 

Notably, the startup has entered the retail market outside of its base in the U.S., recently launching its Impossible Beef to consumers at 200 stores in Hong Kong and Singapore. Within the U.S., the company has landed on the shelves of the country’s biggest retailer Walmart during the pandemic. 

We could turn back the clock on global warming, reverse the global collapse of biodiversity and halt species extinction, deforestation, water pollution and our public health crisis.

Patrick Brown, Founder & CEO, Impossible Foods

According to the company, 92% of sales of its famous bleeding plant-based Impossible Burger is directly displacing animal-derived meats from consumers who are increasingly shifting away from all meat categories this year. 

In an opening statement by the company’s founder and CEO Patrick Brown, he said that this year has made it clear that eliminating animal agriculture is the “magic wand” to solve two global issues in tandem – the climate and ecological crisis, and the public health emergency.

“We could turn back the clock on global warming, reverse the global collapse of biodiversity and halt species extinction, deforestation, water pollution and our public health crisis,” stated Brown. “Our planet needs that magic wand. So Impossible Foods is inventing it – a new technology platform for transforming plants into delicious, nutritious, affordable meat, fish and dairy foods, replacing the old animal-based technology in the global food system.”  

Impossible’s ambitions to create plant-based alternatives for dairy was revealed in October this year, when it stated that the funds it has raised in 2020 – two impressive Series F and Series G rounds totalling US$700 million – will be used to expand its R&D team and focus on more varieties of animal-free product formats and types.

Impossible Burger is rapidly displacing animal-based foods, and we are confident that Impossible Sausage can address the environmental impact of pigs, the world’s most widely consumed animal.

Patrick Brown, Founder & CEO, Impossible Foods

The annual impact report also included for the first time a life-cycle assessment for Impossible Foods’ second product, Impossible Sausage. Compared to its animal counterpart, the analysis, conducted in collaboration with independent experts, showed that the plant-based version generates 71% fewer greenhouse gas emissions, requires 41% land area per year and has a 79% lower water footprint. 

“Impossible Burger is rapidly displacing animal-based foods, and we are confident that Impossible Sausage can address the environmental impact of pigs, the world’s most widely consumed animal,” said Brown.

After being first introduced to the world at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January this year, the pork analogue product made its first appearance in Asia a few months ago in a city-wide partnership with Starbucks Hong Kong and partnering restaurants in the city. 

Now available across more than 15,000 restaurants globally in Asia and in the U.S., the company says that Impossible Pork, which has since been named one of the best inventions of the year by Time magazine, stands as its “most successful product rollout” to date. 

All images courtesy of Impossible Foods.

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Nestlé has doubled down on its sustainability commitments, pledging to invest a total of CHF 3.2 billion (US$3.59 billion) over the next five years as part of its long-term goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. The Swiss food giant outlined three key areas that it plans to target with the funds, which includes supporting regenerative agriculture, transitioning to renewable energy and expanding its plant-based and carbon neutral product portfolio.

Publishing its time-bound plan to halve its emissions by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050 in early December, Nestlé says it will set aside US$3.59 billion over the next five years to accelerate its climate ambitions. There will be three core pillars to its plan, including supporting farmers and suppliers across its value chain to advance regenerative agriculture and backing reforestation programs; completing its full transition to 100% renewable energy by 2025; and building its carbon neutral and plant-based product range. 

These goals have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), an organisation that mobilises companies to set climate-forward targets that will benefit business in the long-term. The SBTi collaborative has seen the participation of some of the biggest corporations in the world, including Unilever, H&M and Carlsberg, who have recently urged governments to align their coronavirus rebuilding packages with climate science. 

Tackling climate change can’t wait and neither can we. It is imperative to the long-term success of our business. We have a unique opportunity to address climate change, as we operate in nearly every country in the world and have the size, scale and reach to make a difference.

Mark Schneider, CEO, Nestlé

Nestlé says that progress on its new climate commitments will be regularly assessed by the SBTi and that the company will continue to provide annual updates to ensure transparency.

Speaking about the company’s sustainability goals, Nestlé CEO Mark Schneider said: “Tackling climate change can’t wait and neither can we. It is imperative to the long-term success of our business. We have a unique opportunity to address climate change, as we operate in nearly every country in the world and have the size, scale and reach to make a difference.”

“We will work together with farmers, industry partners, governments, non-governmental organisations and our consumers to reduce our environmental footprint,” Schneider added. 

Specific targets that the company has outlined include sourcing over 14 million tons of its ingredients through regenerative agriculture by 2030, which will also help boost global demand for such goods, and planting at least 20 million trees annually for the next decade. It also says it will achieve a deforestation-free supply chain for its primary commodities like palm and soy by 2022. 

Within its product portfolio, Nestlé says a core part of slashing its carbon footprint will be based on plant-based innovation – creating new more sustainable protein products and reformulating existing lines to make them more environmentally-friendly. The company said that its plant-based brands such as Garden Gourmet, Garden of Life and Sweet Earth will achieve net-zero status by 2022. 

We will work together with farmers, industry partners, governments, non-governmental organisations and our consumers to reduce our environmental footprint.

Mark Schneider, CEO, Nestlé

This builds on Nestlé’s previous statement that it will aggressively roll-out more plant-based products amid the pandemic-driven boost in demand, which saw the Swiss multinational record a 40% sales growth in its plant-based category within the first half of 2020 while other product sectors experienced a decline. It came after the company made clear its intentions at the beginning of January to launch vegan items across all its established brands, lines and categories as a part of its business strategy to “revive” some of its older stagnant products. 

This year alone, in its bid to capture its slice of the fast-growing plant-based market, the company has already launched a new dairy-free version of its classic Carnation canned condensed milk and made its first foray into the alternative seafood market with its new plant-based tuna launched under Garden Gourmet. 

Other FMCG giants have also doubled down on plant-based investment, including Anglo-Dutch consumer goods major Unilever, who recently set a bold global annual sales target of €1 billion (US$1.19 billion) for its plant-based meat and dairy category within the next five to seven years.

All images courtesy of Nestlé.

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As we continue to battle the ongoing coronavirus crisis, the world must also look ahead to prevent entering into an “era of pandemics” where emerging zoonotic diseases will spread more rapidly and frequently. In a newly released report, biodiversity and pandemic experts say that worse crises are to come unless we take measures to end the risk drivers such as deforestation, intensive animal agriculture and the wildlife trade. 

The new IPBES workshop report led by the U.N. agency on biodiversity and ecosystem services, published in late October, says that there could still be anywhere between 540,000 to 850,000 unknown viruses in nature that could infect humans and bring about deadlier, costlier and more frequent pandemics in the future. Describing the future scenario as an “era of pandemics”, the report states clearly that addressing the main risk factors must be prioritised, and that the cost of prevention represents is 100-times lower than the economic impact from the current Covid-19 pandemic alone. 

Widely considered as one of the most scientifically robust investigations into the evidence about the links between pandemic risk and nature, the IPBES workshop report brought together 22 of the world’s top experts and contributions from over 600 sources from diverse fields, including in epidemiology, zoology, public health, wildlife health and public policy. 

The same human activities that drive climate change and biodiversity loss also drive pandemic risk through their impacts on our environment. Changes in the way we use land; the expansion and intensification of agriculture; and unsustainable trade, production and consumption disrupt nature and increase contact between wildlife, livestock, pathogens and people. This is the path to pandemics.

Dr. Peter Daszak, Chair of IPBES Workshop

Read: World’s top scientists say worse pandemics to come if we keep destroying nature

“There is no great mystery about the cause of the Covid-19 pandemic – or of any modern pandemic”, said Dr. Peter Daszak, chair of the IPBES workshop and president of EcoHealth Alliance.

“The same human activities that drive climate change and biodiversity loss also drive pandemic risk through their impacts on our environment. Changes in the way we use land; the expansion and intensification of agriculture; and unsustainable trade, production and consumption disrupt nature and increase contact between wildlife, livestock, pathogens and people. This is the path to pandemics.” 

Among the specific measures that the experts recommended include the creation of an intergovernmental council on pandemic prevention to predict high-risk areas and coordinate a global monitoring framework, institutionalising a “One Health” approach in national government strategies across sectors, and enhancing law enforcement in all aspects of the illegal wildlife trade. 

Read: Demand for animal protein & livestock farming is driving zoonotic pandemics, U.N. report finds

We have the increasing ability to prevent pandemics – but the way we are tackling them right now largely ignores that ability.

Dr. Peter Daszak, Chair of IPBES Workshop

Critically, the report also says that there must be a seismic shift to reduce animal livestock production – a key driver of pandemics, as an earlier U.N. report had already established. To incentivise and enable the transformation away from intensive livestock farming, which contributes to unsustainable land use, deforestation and enormous carbon emissions, the experts say that taxes or levies could be introduced on meat consumption. 

“We have the increasing ability to prevent pandemics – but the way we are tackling them right now largely ignores that ability,” said Dr. Daszak. 

“Our approach has effectively stagnated – we still rely on attempts to contain and control diseases after they emerge, through vaccines and therapeutics. We can escape the era of pandemics, but this requires a much greater focus on prevention in addition to reaction.” 

This article is part of Green Queen Media’s partnership with the SDG Media Compact, aimed at raising awareness and sharing information about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and other health and environmental information from the United Nations. 

Lead image courtesy of Unsplash.

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A new report published by nonprofit the World Animal Protection (WAP) is warning of the threat of superbugs emerging on factory farms due to antibiotic overuse. Describing the threat as a “real and present danger” to global public health, the report calls for an end to intensive factory farming and for consumers to make deliberate choices to reduce their meat consumption and opt for plant-based meat alternatives. 

In a new report, experts at WAP say that intensive animal agriculture is likely to be a major driver of future pandemic outbreaks and is posing the rising threat of superbug emergence. With almost 75% of the world’s antibiotics currently used on animals to “prop up low-welfare practices such as the raising of fast-growing meat chickens,” the industry is described as a “risky business” that must be eradicated in order to prevent another health disaster like the current Covid-19 crisis, which has resulted in more than 1 million deaths, upended economies and shut down jobs, education and everyday lives of people around the world. 

“If the pandemic is the flash flood that has taken us by surprise, the superbug crisis is the only too predictable slow rising tide,” said Jacqueline Mills, head of farming at WAP.

 “We can’t ignore the contribution that the overuse of antibiotics in factory farming is having on the rise in antibiotic resistance – it is a ticking time-bomb that could make the current public health crisis even worse if antibiotics are ineffective in treating secondary infections.”

The report cites worrying figures that already, 700,000 people die annually from infections than cannot be treated by antibiotics – a statistic that is set to rise to 10 million people each year by 2050 if we do not take action to put an end to factory farms that are keeping thousands of animals in close confinement, a leading cause driving the “shadow crisis” of superbugs. 

We can’t ignore the contribution that the overuse of antibiotics in factory farming is having on the rise in antibiotic resistance – it is a ticking time-bomb that could make the current public health crisis even worse if antibiotics are ineffective in treating secondary infections.

Jacqueline Mills, Head of Farming at WAP

The overuse of antibiotics is a widespread industry practice as animals are cramped together, subjected to mutilations and stress, which presents an ideal breeding ground for diseases. Previously, a U.N. report has emphasised the role of animal agricultural intensification due to growing meat demand as a leading cause of emerging zoonotic pandemics, stating that it is responsible for more than 50% of infectious diseases since the 1940s. 

Beyond fuelling the rise of superbugs, the WAP report highlights that residues from antibiotic use are also contaminating waterways and causing environmental harm, on top of the already carbon-intensive activities of raising livestock for food. 

“Industrial animal farming is tearing down our forests, polluting our water, warming the planet and harming our health,” explained Monique Mikhail, senior strategist at Greenpeace International. 

Among some of the key policy recommendations the report outlines includes introducing stricter regulations for the meat industry, and incentivising a shift away from intensive animal farming towards high-welfare animal production and an overall reduction in the consumption and production of animal-based products. 

We must end industrial animal farming and its unacceptable dependence on antibiotics, drastically reduce how much meat we produce and eat, and transition to a just and ecological food system.

Monique Mikhail, Senior Strategist at Greenpeace International

“Governments need to lift animal welfare standards, and monitor and report on antibiotic use in farm animals and international fast-food restaurants should be setting the bar far higher to ensure the animals in their supply chains are treated well, and antibiotics are used responsibly in farming,” said Mills. 

A survey was also conducted by WAP to examine the level of awareness about the superbug threat from factory farming and indicated that across 15 countries globally, 88% of people are now “deeply concerned” that the next pandemic would arise from farmed animals. WAP says that in order to reduce the risk and take action, consumers can actively reduce their meat intake and explore plant-based options, which are not only safer and cruelty-free, but are more sustainable as they do not require as many resources or carbon emissions compared to their animal counterparts. 

“We must end industrial animal farming and its unacceptable dependence on antibiotics, drastically reduce how much meat we produce and eat, and transition to a just and ecological food system,” said Mikhail. 

Lead image courtesy of Unsplash.

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