Sustainable Bites: 30th August 2023

And for the main… 

Continued condemnation of UK government backtrack on food waste

Food waste is one of the month’s biggest themes, with continued fallout from the UK government’s decision to drop plans to introduce mandatory reporting. The new plan will see a voluntary approach to food waste reporting remaining in place until at least mid-2025 before being reviewed, a move that has drawn widespread criticism.

While cost has been cited as the reason for the turn-around, new analysis by Feedback suggests that food waste reporting could save businesses £703m a year. This figure is based on a 20% reduction in food waste – relatively modest, given that the 2023 target under SDG 12.3 is 50%. The same report said that even a 1% reduction in food waste from large and medium-sized food businesses would result in net savings of an estimated £24.4m per year.

The Feedback campaign against the government’s decision has drawn support from numerous bodies and voices, with a change.org petition calling for the policy to be reinstated signed by more than 12,000 people. A statement in support was launched from 27 organisations, including The Sustainable Restaurant Association (that’s us!), Greenpeace, Nature Friendly Farming Network, Sustain and Wildlife & Countryside Link, as well as names like celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Experts have warned that the government backtrack will increase the likelihood that the UK will fail to hit its carbon reduction pledges.

Research suggests regenerative agriculture may boost nutrient content

New research shows ‘good evidence’ for increased concentrations of nutrients like vitamin C and zinc in crops grown using regenerative agricultural practices.

The literature review was conducted in a collaborative effort from the University of Nottingham, UK agricultural research institution Rothamsted Research and Unilever. The study – named “Do agronomic approaches aligned to regenerative agriculture improve the micronutrient concentrations of edible portions of crops? A scoping review of evidence" – looked at regenerative agricultural practices that lead to improved nutrient content in key crops like wheat, rice, tomatoes, onions and pulses.

While the review was limited in scope, it did show tentatively promising evidence for increased nutrient content in crops grown using regenerative agricultural practices. For example, rice grown under increased organic inputs showed higher levels of zinc in 15 out of 16 studies. The vitamin C concentration of tomato increased in approximately 50% of studies when plants were grown under increased organic inputs, and in 76% of studies when plants were grown under deficit irrigation.

This initial review highlights the need for further research, allowing us to understand what impact regenerative agriculture has on the nutritional content of crops. To date, research around agricultural practices has been predominantly focused on yield.

Regenerative agriculture is a term used to describe nature-based agronomic approaches – farming in a way that aims to protect and improve soil health, crop resilience, biodiversity and farmer livelihoods while simultaneously reducing GHG emissions. This way of farming helps to build a more resilient and sustainable food system, while minimising negative environmental impact.

UK agrees to trial period for heterogenous crops

A UK government trial around seed sales could revolutionise the grain market and see more diverse cereals appear on consumer plates.

Last month, the government announced a seven-year trial derogation making it legal for anyone to sell and trade heterogenous cereal seeds, also known as ‘populations’. This is an exciting development with the potential to accelerate the transition to a more diverse and resilient agricultural sector.

In a ‘population’ or heterogeneous crop, each individual plant is different, meaning that a field can contain enormous variation in both genes and traits. This enables the crop as a whole to adapt more easily to changes in the environment and building resilience for farms in the face of increasingly unpredictable weather patterns. This is a stark contrast to standard ‘pure line’ crop varieties, in which every plant is almost identical.

Because of genetic diversity, population crops are significantly less reliant on chemical inputs than monocultures. While they might result in lower yields, productivity and profit may increase as farmers spend less on chemical fertilisers, herbicides and fungicides. Because of their adaptability, diverse populations can grow well in poorly drained or low-quality soils as the population adapts to the surroundings, and are resilient in the face of disease and climate shocks.

For many working in agriculture, the hopes are that this seven-year derogation will lead to permanent legislation that allows for population crops. This has the potential to encourage the growing of heritage varieties and lead to more diversity in UK diets, as well as a more sustainable food system.

Release of radioactive water sparks outrage and bans on Japanese seafood imports

As of August 24th, Japan has begun a lengthy process of discharging more than one million tonnes of treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, sparking protests and international controversy. The water is being released from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, prompting China to announce an immediate blanket ban on seafood imports from a number of regions in Japan.

The water was contaminated in 2011 when it was used to cool three damaged nuclear reactors after Fukushima Daiichi was hit by a tsunami., causing the world’s worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986. The process of releasing it into the ocean is expected to take 30-40 years.

The plans to discharge the water have been approved by the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). However, the Chinese government has condemned the planned water release, effecting an immediate ban on the imports of seafood from Japan in order to “prevent the risk of radioactive contamination of food safety”.

“The ocean is the common property of all humanity, and forcibly starting the discharge of Fukushima’s nuclear wastewater into the ocean is an extremely selfish and irresponsible act that ignores international public interests,” a spokesperson from Beijing’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “By dumping the water into the ocean, Japan is spreading the risks to the rest of the world and passing an open wound onto the future generations of humanity.”

Hong Kong’s chief executive, John Lee, said releasing the water into the ocean was “irresponsible”, adding that the city would activate import controls on Japanese seafood from regions including Fukushima and Tokyo. The ban will cover live, frozen, refrigerated and dried seafood, as well as sea salt and seaweed.

Local fishers in the Fukushima region have expressed concern over the devastating impact of the nuclear water release on their livelihoods.