Foodprint

Question 1

What is organic farming?

Answer 1

an agricultural method that aims to produce food using natural substances and processes
Has limited environmental impact because it encourages:
■ the responsible use of energy and natural resources
■ the maintenance of biodiversity
■ preservation of regional ecological balances
■ enhancement of soil fertility
● plants use all nutrients in the soil, no depletion into the soil, give back nutrients without artificial fertilizers
● crop rotation, polyculture
● cultivation of nitrogen-fixing plants and other green manure crops to restore the fertility of the soil
● natural fertilizers: compost, animal and green manure → increase both soil fertility and content of nutrient in the soil
■ maintenance of water quality.

Question 2

What is required to be able to be labelled organic?

Answer 2

○ prohibition of the use of GMOs
○ forbidding the use of ionising radiation
○ limiting the use of artificial fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides
○ prohibiting the use of hormones and restrict the use of antibiotics and only when necessary for animal health
○ no artificial insemination

Question 3

What are the pro’s of eating organic food?

Answer 3

○ health: no pesticide residues, higher nutritional value, no hormones, no antibiotics, no GMO
○ environment: soil fertility, resources, no contamination of water, protects biodiversity, reduces the effect of erosion

Question 4

What are the cons of eating organic food?

Answer 4

○ health: maybe more bacteria
○ environment: requires more land
○ economic: more expensive
■ because it has to adhere to a lot of regulations
■ more manual labor required, more land for less product
■ quantity produced per square meter is low

Question 5

What is the prevalence of organic food in the EU?

Answer 5

○ EU: 7,5%
○ 3,2% in the Netherlands
■ very low because less land so maximize it → greenhouses not organic
○ highest Austria 25%, France 15% → world 1.4%

Question 6

Why do organic foods have higher nutritional quality?

Answer 6

○ general claim: higher polyphenol content in organic, higher nutritional value
■ polyphenols are antioxidants
■ plants produce them for protection (self-defense) when they’re under stress or under attack (pathogen stress, etc.)
■ pesticides and herbicide reduce the amount of those
○ natural pesticides defense system activation (plant’s own phytochemicals);
○ avoiding loss of nutritional value of fresh fruits and vegetables because organic products have a lower shelf life compared to conventional ones;
○ organic meat has more water content, higher quality lipid fraction
○ vitamins, minerals other nutrients does not seem to be affected by agriculture management
○ also no antibiotics for organic meat

Question 7

What are the health implications of being vegetarian?

Answer 7

● Cardiovascular disease
○ Vegetarians tend to weigh less + lower fat intake + LDL cholesterol levels + higher fibre intake + less hypertension
○ Vegans lower total and LDL cholesterol + lower blood pressure than vegetarians
● Cancer
○ Risk reduction from food groups such as fruits and vegetables
○ Reducing cancer risk by limiting red meat and processed meat consumption
● Diabetes
○ Vegetarians have lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes → vegans even lower risk
● Osteoporosis (low bone mass disease)
○ Increased fracture rates for vegans → little calcium intake
● Other health considerations
○ Vegetarians have decreased risk for inflammation of bowel & gallstones
○ Vegetarians have longer life expectancies

Question 8

What is the environmental impact of meat?

Answer 8

● ⅓ land used for livestock, so use less land if plant based
● lots of water used for meat production
● high demand for grain feed: for 1kg of meat per 12 kg of feed
● overgrazing, deforestation