Transitioning to a Circular Food System with the 3R's
There’s no doubt about it; our current food system is ineffective and unsustainable. Colliding crises of climate catastrophe, increasing global populations, and food shortages coupled with inadequate and inequitable distribution means food security is of growing concern worldwide. The thing is, we have enough food to support our current population and a few amendments to the way our food system works can help bridge the gap.
Our prevailing food model is simple in its linearity: invest resources to make food then use the food to feed those who can afford and access it and dispose of the waste in landfills.
If this doesn’t strike you as unequivocally unsustainable, then allow me to fill your head with my constant worries and consider the following: finite natural resources, disruption of natural nutrient cycles, greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, and more — not to mention the indisputable inequity of it all. Food is a human right.
So how can we remedy our extractive, wasteful food system and transform it into an equitable model that endures? Well much like the movement towards a circular economy, there’s momentum behind the idea of a circular food system that loops back nutrients and recovers waste for human consumption. To transition from a straight chain to a circle, we can look at the 3Rs that have *somewhat* remedied our economic debacle: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
Reduce
Reduction of food waste is largely out of the control of the individual. While we can ensure not to over purchase during trips to the supermarket, make good use of our leftovers, and do our best to reduce waste, this is personal waste and fails to address the system-level problem: overproduction by Big Ag. Corporations can better manage production and consumption stages to be less resource and energy intensive, but it’s likely they will continue to overproduce with disregard for efficiency and sustainability.
One way to advocate for this necessary systemic change is with the power of the purse. Buying local takes your money from larger corporations and concentrates on small scale farming. Local farmers can better gauge the needs of the community and work to reduce the volume of surplus food generated. It also cuts down on food miles and packaging creating a much less intensive system. For more, read Why Local.
Reuse
Reusing food is an essential step in creating a circular food system. This is where food redistribution and reimagination happens through the recovery of food to feed hungry people and take care of animals.
At Transition, we’re proponents of ‘feeding two birds with one worm’ by taking what would be food waste and delivering it to those in need. Reusing food by gleaning, fruit rescue initiatives, lowering quality expectations, connecting restaurants with leftovers to the food insecure, and other methods of reclaiming would-be waste and reframing it as viable food helps build a circular system and combat hunger.
Recycle
Lastly, recycling is a last ditch effort for food that would be thrown into landfills and diverting it to other avenues that make use of the resources stored in food and recycle it into our natural trophic rhythms.
Composting minimizes greenhouse gas production and promotes natural nutrient cycling creating the perfect byproduct for agricultural continuity: rich soils. Other recycling technologies like gasification make use of food scraps to fill other human demands for energy resources.
While rectifying our current food system to sustainably serve society may not be as easy as I outlined above, there are still actionable steps we can take to bring circularity into our food systems. Contribute when and how you can, knowing the weight of change doesn’t rely solely on your back or even the backs of consumers (*ahem* government collusion with Big Ag). You can make a difference through your own efforts and the education of others.
Take Action with Florida Resources
Reduce
Participate in Transition’s Eat Local Week — 14-21 March 2021
Buy local at any of Greater Sarasota’s 9 Farmers Markets
Sign up to receive local produce with CSA Boxes
Reuse
Volunteer with Transition’s Suncoast Gleaning Project
Register your fruit tree for Transition’s Fruit Rescue Program
Opt in to using “imperfect” produce with Misfits Market subscription
Share excess food with neighbors and local shops through Olio
Recycle
Educate yourself and begin your own pile with Sunshine Community Compost
Find a location to drop off your food scraps for compost with MakeSoil.org