Sustainability

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America is hungrier than ever for #sustainable food systems

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2021-Feb-03 Wed 10:00
2021-Feb-03 Wed 10:00
2891

America is hungrier than ever for #sustainable food systems—and it is important to address this. Check out this @GreenBiz article to find out how we can rethink current systems to create a sustainable future. bit.ly/32Gms8F

Report champions a new sustainability index for Canada’s agri-food sector

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2021-Jan-29 Fri 12:16
2021-Jan-29 Fri 12:16
2855

A national sustainability index for the agri-food sector would help demonstrate Canada’s rightful place as a leader of sustainable, safe and responsibly-produced food...

"Canada's agri-food sector to put sustainability first"

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2021-Jan-29 Fri 11:15
2021-Jan-29 Fri 11:15
2847

A national sustainability index for the agri-food sector would helpdemonstrate Canada’s rightful place as a leader of sustainable, safe and responsibly-produced food to a more demanding domestic and global marketplace and be a catalyst to add value sector-wide, declares a report released today by a…

FDA Issues Update on E. Coli Outbreak Involving Leafy Greens

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2021-Jan-28 Thu 10:00
2021-Jan-28 Thu 10:00
2831

FDA has completed its investigation of the multistate outbreak of E. coli 0151:H7 that occurred last fall and was linked to leafy greens. The FDA and CDC found the outbreak was caused by an E. coli strain that was genetically related to the strain found in the fall 2019 outbreak involving romaine lettuce (Salinas, California). Despite conducting environmental sampling at dozens of ranches in the area, the FDA was unable to identify a single site as the source of the outbreak. However, the analysis did confirm “a positive match to the outbreak strain in a sample of cattle feces,” which was located uphill from where the leafy greens identified in the agency’s traceback investigation were grown, according to an FDA release.

There is an Alarming Amount of Microplastics in Farm Soil—and Our Food Supply

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2021-Jan-27 Wed 14:45
2021-Jan-27 Wed 14:45
2828

Mary Beth Kirkham hadn’t studied microplastics when she was invited to co-edit a new book about microplastics in the environment—but something stood out to her about the existing research.

“I had read in the literature that . . . cadmium and other toxic trace elements [are] increased when we have these particulate plastics in the soil. So, that was of concern to me,” said Kirkham, a plant physiologist and distinguished professor of agronomy at Kansas State University.

Kirkham’s expertise is in water and plant relations and heavy metal uptake, so she decided to conduct her own research in which she cultivated wheat plants exposed to microplastics, cadmium, and both microplastics and cadmium. Then she compared these plants to those grown without either additive. She chose cadmium because it’s poisonous, carcinogenic, and ubiquitous in the environment due to human activity—it’s shed from batteries and car tires, and is naturally found in the phosphate rock used to make agricultural fertilizers.

BC invests $3M in agritech grant program to improve sustainable food production

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2021-Jan-26 Tue 16:00
2021-Jan-26 Tue 16:00
2812

The agritech grant program will also benefit farmers and agricultural ... Therefore, vertical farming for food production, which takes place in a highly ...

Sustainable food and agriculture is key 🔑 to meeting all four pillars of food security

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2021-Jan-21 Thu 16:00
2021-Jan-21 Thu 16:00
2781

Sustainable food and #agriculture is key 🔑 to meeting all four pillars of food security – availability, access, utilization and stability.

Here at IAG, we’re taking #action to combat food insecurity in the U.K. and beyond. Learn more in our website. pic.twitter.com/oO0UgHLRTt

It’s Time to Talk Food Miles

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2021-Jan-20 Wed 13:30
2021-Jan-20 Wed 13:30
2772

The Food Miles Definition

You have likely heard the term food miles before, but what it means isn’t always clear, and why it’s important is often overlooked. Food miles help us measure the impact food has on our planet when it travels from the farm to your family. So, by looking at how, when, and from where food finds its way to your neighborhood, we can make sure it arrives in the greenest way possible.

Transportation is the essential link that allows us to deliver the freshest food to grocery stores across North America. That’s why we want to take a closer look at the journey our Tomatoes, Peppers, and Cucumbers take when they travel on trucks from our greenhouse to your house. Let’s get started!

Four Decades Of Food Fraud

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2021-Jan-19 Tue 10:54
2021-Jan-19 Tue 10:54
2764

Find records of fraud such as those discussed in this column and more in the Food Fraud Database. Image credit: Susanne Kuehne

For more than 40 years, a syndicate of bribed government and custom officials and slaughterhouses did lucrative business by smuggling fake halal meat into Malaysia. The meat originated in unapproved slaughterhouses in several countries that produced not halal-certified and low-grade meat from a variety of animals. This scandal was a setback on Malaysia’s goal to become one of the world’s main halal meat exporters, which is a multi-billion dollar business.

Reducing food waste through sustainable insect production in Calgary

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2021-Jan-18 Mon 14:00
2021-Jan-18 Mon 14:00
2749

Today, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced that Enterra Feed Corporation (Enterra) received $6 million under the AgriInnovate Program to help increase the production of sustainable, nutritious products to feed animals while helping to keep food out of landfills.

Food Insecurity Vs. Food Waste: Producers and Manufacturers Can Affect the Balance

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2021-Jan-15 Fri 05:00
2021-Jan-15 Fri 05:00
2725

As the population continues to grow and the effects of climate change, global warming, pollution and other factors impact humanity’s ability to grow and provide enough food for itself, the concern that the world could run out of food is increasing.. The COVID-19 pandemic has put more focus on how fragile the food supply chain is and how easy it is to disrupt the process of feeding the world. For years, it has been mostly a topic of discussion. But with so many disruptions, it is now an issue that needs to be acted on. Social groups, civic associations, government bodies and food manufacturers have taken notice of the problem and are attempting to get their hands around the issues. One of the key points in this discussion revolves around the amount of food and food sources that will be needed in the future. It always starts with the same question: “Will there be enough food?” Most people immediately say no. But is that 100% true? This is where the debate between food insecurity and food waste begins.

New plastic-free crate cover

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2021-Jan-14 Thu 07:30
2021-Jan-14 Thu 07:30
2722

Kuku International Packaging, a company located in Palata Pepoli (BO) and specializing in flexible packaging, has introduced a new crate cover made up of natural elements (95% cellulose) obtained from natural fibers and developed readapting the material used for other solutions.  Photo provided by Kuku International Packaging "This…

A CEA waste study to suggest best practices for sustainability

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2021-Jan-14 Thu 06:16
2021-Jan-14 Thu 06:16
2713

Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) production has the opportunity to provide a sustainable alternative to conventional farming. A lot of focus has already been placed on CEA's ability to be very water-efficient and space-efficient, and various studies have looked at its energy use. One area which…

Researchers have turned pineapple leaves into drone parts

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2021-Jan-05 Tue 13:30
2021-Jan-05 Tue 13:30
2654

Researchers in Malaysia have found a way to turn fiber from pineapple leaves into material sturdy enough to make drone frames. Professor Mohamed Thariq Hameed Sultan of Putra University told Reuters that drones built with the material had a higher st...

This sustainable architecture concept is a flexible, scalable, living organism in itself!

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2020-Dec-26 Sat 17:13
2020-Dec-26 Sat 17:13
2614

Its construction is organic and flexible, providing large areas of urban and vertical farming, greenhouses, wildlife corridors, and integration of habitat ...

You now can grow small fruits all over the world

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2020-Dec-24 Thu 11:15
2020-Dec-24 Thu 11:15
2606

This year many events took place in a digital setting, including the Global Berry Congress. The Italian Molari Berries & Breeding also attended the special event. "It is interesting to see how, despite the pandemic, the sector was able to keep up with a remarkable trend. Consumers' lifestyles have…

“More tomatoes being top sealed”

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2020-Dec-24 Thu 11:15
2020-Dec-24 Thu 11:15
2605

In the fruit and vegetable sector, top seal packaging is mostly used for soft fruit. However, lately, it's becoming increasingly common to package other types of fruit and vegetables in this way too. Think of tomatoes, mushrooms, grapes, and asparagus. Sustainability, better visibility in the shop, and chain efficiency are a…

📺 Transition to a plastic free crop clip system: now or later?

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2020-Dec-21 Mon 11:03
2020-Dec-21 Mon 11:03
2575

Many horticultural businesses are in the middle of the crop change or it has already been done. This also means that the used crop gets shredded and removed. These crop remainders often contain plastic. Dutch tomato growers have over two billion plastic clips and 864,000,000 meters of plastic rope per…

Amazon generates millions of pounds of plastic waste

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2020-Dec-15 Tue 12:16
2020-Dec-15 Tue 12:16
2514

Amazon’s plastic pollution is under scrutiny today with the publication of a new report by the nonprofit ocean advocacy organization Oceana. That report estimates that Amazon was responsible for 465 million pounds of plastic packaging waste last year. Amazon says that figure is overblown — by over 350 percent.

Amazon claims that it uses about a quarter of Oceana’s estimate, according to an email from the company to The Verge. If that’s the case, then Amazon still used more than 116 million pounds of plastic packaging in 2019. Amazon did not share what its total plastic footprint was either through a spokesperson or in its most recent sustainability report published last September.

The world's first certified carbon neutral container is loaded in Ecuador

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2020-Dec-15 Tue 12:16
2020-Dec-15 Tue 12:16
2509

On December 12, Contecon Guayaquil SA (CGSA), the private administrator of the Liberator Simón Bolívar Maritime Port, loaded the world's first container with carbon-neutral certified land and port logistics. The merchandise, belonging to Tropical Fruit, was transported by sea by MSC to France, where it…

"Washable labels make reusable systems even more sustainable"

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2020-Dec-09 Wed 11:15
2020-Dec-09 Wed 11:15
2428

In the fruit and vegetable trade, but also in many other areas of the food trade, reusable systems are indispensable. Anyone who uses them knows what problem they bring: there are labels on the containers that did not -or not completely- come off after cleaning. If such containers are then relabeled,…

📅 A forward-looking perspective on tackling the grand challenges in plant health to transform agriculture sustainably

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2020-Dec-08 Tue 13:30
2020-Dec-08 Tue 13:30
2409

This very well attended on-line webinar was the first in a series hosted by CambPlants Hub to celebrate the FAO’s International Year of Plant Health. Supported by Cambridge Global Food Security IRC , # Annual Food Agenda , NIAB and the Crop Science Centre , it was a dynamic panel discussion followed by a question and...

Research reveals high-tech cultivation to be the most sustainable solution

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2020-Dec-08 Tue 13:30
2020-Dec-08 Tue 13:30
2406

Fresh tomatoes grown in high-tech greenhouses score higher in terms of sustainability than organic tomatoes. That is the key finding from academic research conducted on Grodan’s behalf by Wageningen University. In coalition with industry partners, Grodan is now working to build broader awareness of this…

New report sets out 10 principles required for business to deliver a sustainable purpose

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2020-Dec-03 Thu 15:00
2020-Dec-03 Thu 15:00
2346

A new CISL report captures insights from leading companies to highlight practices to integrate a sustainable purpose into organisations.

Plasticulture: The role of plastic films in sustainable agriculture

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2020-Dec-03 Thu 14:55
2020-Dec-03 Thu 14:55
2350

With an emphasis on high crop yielding seeds, fertilisers, pesticides and better methods of farming, India has become a self-sufficient country in the production of food grains. The green revolution ushered in a boost to food production of such an extent that the country exported more food than it…

Can Local Food Feed Big Cities? Yes, if We Cut Down on Meat

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2020-Dec-02 Wed 13:10
2020-Dec-02 Wed 13:10
2339

This has been a banner year for local food. As the pandemic disrupted large-scale food processing and national and international supply chains, many consumers turned to local-food options like community supported agriculture programs, local meat processors, and urban farms. While the supply chain has since stabilized, many local food advocates are hoping that this new emphasis can help make the food system more resilient in the face of other challenges, like the climate crisis.

Now, a new study from Tufts University provides the most comprehensive answers yet to an underlying, fundamental question: With the majority of people concentrated in cities, how possible is it to localize food production in the U.S.?

Food industry failing to address supply chain emissions: ‘Engagement is relatively shallow’

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Submitted by Elsewhere on 2020-Dec-01 Tue 14:10
2020-Dec-01 Tue 14:10
2317

A new report warns that 84% of companies are failing to address their largest source of carbon emissions â their supply chains. We speak to Dexter Galvin, Global Director of Corporations & Supply Chains at CDP, to find out what should be done.