What are the Biggest Food Energy Hogs?

Debate rages about greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption in agriculture, but a new government report reveals that production is just the tip of the food industry's carbon footprint. The USDA's Economic Research Service has just released a report called Fuel for Food on the use of energy in the food system. It reveals that the U.S. food system is more energy-intensive than ever, accounting for almost 16 percent of the nation's total energy use as of 2007. While the agricultural production part of that figure is significant, it pales in comparison to the carbon footprint of the food industry at large.

Between 1997 and 2002, a staggering 80 percent of the United States' energy consumption increase was in the food industry sector. What caused such a massive boost  in energy use? The report identifies three causes: population growth, higher per capita food expenditures, and above all, the use of more energy-intensive technologies in processing plants and households.

Population growth accounts for about 25 percent of the increase, which is easy enough to understand: 14 million more mouths to feed means more energy needs to be spent to feed them. What's more interesting is the fact that more and more food is being marketed per capita, not just overall, accounting for another 25 percent  of the food industry's energy consumption increase. That means food companies are getting each of us to buy more and more food, which, given that we're already suffering an epidemic of obesity, we assuredly don't need. Not only does this have a detrimental effect on our health, but it's a needless waste of our already outrageous national energy consumption.

Accounting for the remaining 50 percent of the energy use increase is more use of energy-intensive technologies. In food processing, preparation, and production, human laborers are being replaced with machinery, shedding jobs and increasing energy use at a phenomenal rate. Household preparation accounts for the most food-related energy use, and here, too, an increase in gadgetry is to blame. Households are replacing the old chopping block and elbow grease with food processors and stand mixers. Almost a quarter of households now own two or more refrigerators, a very energy-intensive appliance.

Households may account for the most food energy use, but food processing by manufacturers had the highest increase, the equivalent of an extra 24 gallons of gasoline burned per person annually. More food is being processed instead of being sold whole, resulting in a hit to both our health and our energy efficiency. "Single serving" and "quick" have made it into the top 10 most common food labels since 2001. It is telling that processing has now surpassed retail as the second biggest food industry energy use. In fact, retail was the one sector of the food industry in which we actually saw a decrease in energy consumption, which the report attributed both to the use of more energy-efficient lighting and appliances in grocery stores as well as, unfortunately, greater consolidation. The report also suggests that the increase in the food service industry may have cut into the retail market. All signs point to people buying more pre-made, processed products and less whole foods.

The report concludes that future trends are hard to predict, but suggests that rising concern over energy use, as well as rising energy prices, will likely have an impact on consumer purchasing decisions, which in turn affects the whole industry. Researchers suggest that replacing some (factory farmed) meat and eggs with fish and fresh vegetables will go a long way towards saving energy costs. However, these researchers also warn that if the fish and veggie industries relied on energy-intensive methods, the energy savings are negated. The report underscores a belief we've touted over and over on the Sustainable Food blog: How food is grown is just as — if not more — important than what it is or where it came from.

Photo credit: Ben Ostrowsky via Flickr