Bejta’s Kitchen Press Release - Launch Date 30/03/15: How are we going to feed 2,000,000,000 more people?

By Camellia Hajiloe CY2 A2[1]

Introduction[2]

Not many restaurants around the world focus on the dilemmas of food transportation and production and in addition to this, there are seven billion people around the world being affected by this. Sustainable restaurants are a great way to consume food without having the need to feel remorseful about how it has been produced. Restaurants who do not rely on the sustainability of the food contribute to the harm occurring in the environment. The population of the world is increasing, putting the Earth in an economic and social crisis. Conventional farming is considered a solution for this predicament however this restaurant considers it wrong and has decided to go complicated choice which is organic farming. However, there are problems that come along with this farming option such as genetically modified crops and animals, which may spread diseases to mammals. In conventional farming, the workers suffer with the animals due to the work conditions and low pay. Agribusinesses completely ignore the concept of animal welfare and this presents conventional farming to be a negative decision. On the other hand, organic farming is considered to be the opposite. People prefer organic farming because it is seen to be more healthier and is produced using environmentally and animal friendly farming methods. Therefore, my restaurant which is called ‘Bejta’s Kitchen’ is going in the organic direction and using chicken as our meat as it is the most sustainable meat, farmed oysters because it doesn’t affect the fishing industry dramatically and potatoes as our crops, due to the less transportation.

Meat
Production of meat is a big issue in the food industry and can be thought as controversial. There are two main types of farming methods to produce meat - organic/traditional farming and conventional/factory farming. Many people prefer organic farming to the other because conventional farmers are very ignorant towards animal welfare and environmental safety. According to the BBC, organic farming uses methods that are legal and no artificial chemicals are used on the animals which may cause diseases; conventional farming does the opposite. This restaurant has decided to choose 100% organic meat. The main reasons are that the farmers and animals are treating well; less pollution is produced; it is more healthier and there is no animal abuse involved. Many problems occur in the method of conventional farming even though it is supposedly ‘a resolution for world hunger’. Pesticides are involved in the list of problems and when they are sprayed on crops which are fed to the animals, they are stored in the animals’ fat. People who have meat in their diets are faced with the risk of medical problems as the pesticides enter our bodies when we eat the meat. This is very risky choice of agriculture and is not sustainable therefore organic farming is our direction[3].

There are a variety of meat choices to choose from to serve in our restaurant and the choice we have made is to serve organic chicken. Research determines that chicken uses less carbon dioxide, water and land to produce compared to other meat like beef. The production of one kilogram of beef causes around 13.3kg of CO2 - this is the same quantity of CO2 when 6.6 litres of petrol is burnt - whilst for every kilogram of chicken, the production causes 3.5kg. This is a vast difference. According to The Guardian, giving up beef will reduce carbon footprint more than cars due to its colossal need of land and water for production. The popular red meat requires 28 times more land to produce than pork or chicken, 11 times more water and results in five times more climate-warming emissions. Agriculture is a significant driver for global warming and by our restaurant not serving beef but serving chicken which is organic contributes positively to the environment and the world as a whole.

Seafood

The fishing industry is in an unpleasant state currently in the 21st century and over a billion people rely on fish as their primary food source which is 1/7th of the world’s population. Marine creatures face severe problems in the oceans as problems such as ‘ocean bycatch’ exists. Ocean bycatch is when fish is harvested in a fishery but are not sold or kept for personal use. This includes economic discards and regulatory discards. This is an example of marine cruelty and world hunger because of the ignorant killing and waste of fish. Over half a billion people count on oceans for their livelihoods and our fish stocks are running due to these dilemmas occurring. 80% of our fish stocks are fully or semi exploited and this also triggers famine across the world. A significantly large amount of the top predators of the sea are disappearing regularly - the statistic is 90%. Oceans are complex and interconnected systems; if you damage one part, the other parts suffer too. This relates to the food webs and chains. Billions of animals and endangered species become bycatch and this is a huge risk for the future of the environment and nutrition of humans. Research determines 250,000 turtles, 300,000 seabirds and 300,000 dolphins have become bycatch. Scientists predict that by 2050 the world’s fish stocks will collapse if the fishing industry continues like this. However there is a solution - marine reserves. Marine reserves work as they provide a refuge for species including fish, top predators and migratory animals, protecting the habitat they live on for life stages. Another bonus, reserves creates jobs and sustains the fishing industry. The fishing industry needs time to recover and get into a stable condition so we will be using farmed oysters as our seafood option. Other seafood options like cod, bigeye tuna, haddock and prawns are not sustainable as they are overfished and are bycatch and currently, in this period of time in mariculture, should be avoided due to the risk of fish endangerment.

Farmed oysters are very beneficial as our seafood option, not just for mariculture[4] but also the consumers. Oysters can provide you with a host of health benefits, among them, high levels of heart and brain boosting omega 3 fatty acids and zinc. Linking it to mariculture, they are an ocean-friendly seafood choice because they are farmed with a relatively low impact on the environment. But why are farmed oysters so sustainable? Oysters do not require additional feed inputs such as fish meal from wild-capture fisheries. Instead, they filter-feed on tiny particles, plankton, and organic matter found in the water column. Therefore, oysters are self-sustaining and can actually improve local water quality. Oysters can be farmed without adding chemicals or antibiotics that can be harmful to the surrounding environment. Farming oysters can also reduce fishing pressure on wild oyster populations that have suffered from overfishing, pollution and habitat destruction. In conclusion, by serving farmed oysters as our seafood option in our restaurant, we are doing mariculture a favour.

Crops / Staples

Staple food crops are an essential part of our nutrition and it is running out as the population is expanding and so is the need for food. One of the planet’s goals is to reduce malnutrition and genetically modified crops produces double the amount of crops that organic farming does. However, there’s always a catch. Scientists have researched and found out that GM foods can cause cancer and allergic reactions in a human’s body. It is also very harmful to the soil and can damage normal organic crops.
Evidently, my restaurant menu will serve organic crops to ensure a healthy and hygienic cuisine for my customers. Our crops will be GM free due to the risks that come with it. One of the major risks is that other organisms can be harmed in the ecosystem, which we lead to a lower biodiversity. When one pest harms a crop, it removes a food source for an animal and this is a danger to the ecosystem. Not only does GM crops harm animals but also humans because genetically modified crops have been altered using bacterias and viruses and there is a fear of emerging diseases from that. Thus, we will be using organic crops. Organic farming is friendlier to the environment; therefore on organic farms you are likely to find a greater diversity of plants.

The crops that my restaurant will be using for our menu are potatoes and there are many benefits to this choice. The potatoes that we will serve will be grown in the U.K, which ensures that we won’t be contributing to the increase of global warming[5] by world transportation. World transportation of crops can cause pollution and this leads to the Earth heating up which is hazardous to the environment. Around a million and a half to five million potatoes are grown in the UK which is more than a good amount of staple crops to maintain the food in this restaurant. In addition to these pros, potatoes are easy to grow, they are quick to mature, require little water and have yields two to four times greater than that of wheat or rice. This crop is considered a potential solution to world hunger and is already a colossal worldwide food staple. With the prices of rice, wheat and cereals increasing significantly and becoming a concern, potatoes are a solution and are a solution for the staple crops of our restaurant[6].

Future Food

Famine is one of society’s largest dilemmas to face and it is estimated that by 2050, the world population will increase to 9.6 billion. This means that food won’t be available for everyone with the rises in prices and lack of coordination in agriculture and mariculture. Nevertheless, there is a solution and it is called future food. Future food is a replacement for the current foods in our diets such as normal meat, fish and crops. There are many examples of future foods such as lab grown meat and insects. Lab grown meat has got its advantages - it is cheaper to produce than regular meat (with technological advances); requires less land, water and CO2; more ethical in terms of animal welfare and healthier in general. Obviously, it does have its disadvantages. It is known to be very expensive to produce with current technology, quite unnatural, requires enormous capital investment for research and development and people may reluctant to change the meat in their diets from ground to lab-grown. We will not be adding lab-grown meat to our menu as there is a risk of diseases forming from it and the cost in order to produce it. On the other hand, we will be adding insects to our menu because of its benefits as it helps decrease world hungers and is advantageous to our diets[7].

Farmed insects are packed with protein and a way to feed the poor. A benefit of farming insects is that they do not need acres of land to grow and develop but instead they can do that in containers. Insects are a more ethical, sustainable, energy efficient way to produce meat. They are also highly nutritious; for example, house crickets contain approximately 21 grams of protein per 100 grams of cricket, while ground beef contains about 26 grams per 100 grams of meat and powdered whole milk contains about 26 grams of protein per 100 grams. They can be blended into flour-based foods like tortillas and wraps for easy consuming. Researchers say that two billion people already eat insects and it is obvious that they are the future[8].

[1]this is excellent work so far Camelia. You have clearly explained and thought about solutions to global food issues.

[2]insert logo for restaurant

[3]evidence of pesticides impact on human health. What about environmental consequences of pesticides and fertilisers? Eutrophication?

[4]explain concept mariculture

[5]explain global warming concept further e.g. through greenhouse effect explanation

[6]insert term 'food security'

[7]urban farming too?

[8]add in references to any websites you have used as a list at the end. I can help you to do this.