Growing and distributing food
Our food production is dependant on fossil fuel from the production of inorganic fertilisers through to the processing and distribution of food.
Food travels great distances, and many communities experience unhealthy food environments with good access to poor food and poor access to good food.
Quality of soil
Low soil carbon and soil nutrient loss occurs particularly in Auckland’s intensive food growing areas. This has led to elevated levels of nutrients in ground and surface water.
Some farmers are moving toward regenerative farming practices that promote healthy soils that are more resilient to weather events,
sequester carbon, minimise
nutrient leaching, and increase biodiversity, food nutrition and crop yield.
Food waste produces emissions
Food waste produces emissions when landfilled, but also represents unnecessary upstream
emissions and resource consumption that occurs during production, processing, and distribution of that food.
While some food waste is prevented, redistributed or composted, much of it still ends up in landfill.
Aucklanders send 100,000 tonnes of food waste to landfill each year in household kerbside collection, while nationally cafés and restaurants are responsible for 24,000 tonnes and supermarkets for 14,000 tonnes annually.
