Resource-efficient use of land and animals—Environmental impacts of food systems based on organic cropping and avoided food-feed competition

Karlsson, Johan O.; Röös, Elin

doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.03.035

Cited by 53 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Transport to retail (Stockholm, Sweden) is added. 6 These numbers are approximated, using a similar recipe from Ica.se as a reference point (ICA 2019b). 7 These numbers are approximated, using a similar recipe from Brämhult as a reference point (Brämhult 2019a).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Strid [5] recommends that a Swedish national target should reflect the aim of the SDG target 12.3, while Karlsson and Röös [6] argue that at least a 50% reduction in food waste is needed for a sustainable future food system in Sweden. Apart from an official goal, opportunities are also needed for actors who deal with food, so that surplus food generated can be recirculated in order not to be wasted [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sustainability Assessment of Food Redistribution Initiatives in Sweden

et al. 2020

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Food banks that redistribute surplus food from retailers and the food industry to people in need are not a new concept globally, but their connection to food waste prevention is new. As a result, new types of food redistribution units are emerging and diversifying to find new target groups and distribution methods. The aim of this study was to identify and study surplus food redistribution units in Sweden, and then to assess the impact on several sustainability indicators for selected redistribution units, in order to increase knowledge on the types of values these redistribution concepts generate. The methods used for analyzing the scenarios were Environmental Life Cycle Assessment, Life Cycle Costing and Social Life Cycle Assessment. The results showed that providing food bags to socially exposed people generated the largest reduction of greenhouse gas emissions per kg of redistributed food (−1.2 kg CO2 eq./FU). Reprocessing surplus food to a high-quality end-product was attributed a high social value, due to job creation effects in the high number of working hours required per kg of redistributed food. With regard to economic impacts, all but two scenarios studied had monthly financial losses, and therefore needed other sources of financial support.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability Assessment of Food Redistribution Initiatives in Sweden

et al. 2020

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“…One way to increase the sustainability of protein production is via the improvement of land use efficiency of livestock production, and especially reduction of the consumption of animal feed coming from land that could otherwise be used for production of crops consumed directly by humans. A practical solution for this would be the replacement of potentially human-edible feedstuff by feed ingredients that are not suitable for human consumption and would need no additional agricultural land for their production (Schader et al, 2015;Karlsson and Röös, 2019). In practice, such ingredients would be mainly agricultural co-products.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite such a potential, in this study the distillery co-products used as livestock feed were classified as 'non-human edible'. The reason for this is that the cereals grown specifically for alcohol production do not currently contribute to the food vs. feed competition (Makkar, 2018;Karlsson and Röös, 2019). Part of the outputs of those cereals will enter the human food chain (i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regional land use efficiency and nutritional quality of protein production

Leinonen

Iannetta

MacLeod

et al. 2020

Global Food Security

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Strategies for achieving environmental sustainability of protein production vary regionally. In this study, a framework was applied that would quantify a region-specific contribution to global protein supply with a special focus on protein quality i.e. essential amino acid composition. The framework was applied in Scotland and showed that high-quality human-edible protein from that region currently emerges mainly from animal production. Considering future protein scenarios, the land requirement for pulses for producing a certain amount of essential amino acids in Scotland would be similar to the land requirement for potentially human-edible feeds needed in cattle production. Reducing the current use of agricultural by-products in livestock feeding would considerably increase the land use demand for other, potentially human edible feed crops.

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“…The few regional studies that optimised the use of LCF by animals aimed to illustrate the potential of a resource efficient food system as a whole (Karlsson & Röös, 2019;van Kernebeek et al, 2016).…”

Section: Knowledge Gaps 21 Animals In a Circular Food Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Upcycling biomass in a circular food system : The role of livestock and fish

Hal¹

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A more circular food system is increasingly proposed to address the challenge of feeding a growing world population while limiting environmental impacts and resource use. A circular food system prioritises resources for direct food supply to avoid feed-food competition. The role of animals is to upcycle resources unsuitable or undesired for human consumption, so called low-opportunity-cost feeds (LCF) into animal-source food. This thesis evaluates the potential of various animals in upcycling LCF in a circular food system by applying an optimisation model that allocates available LCF to that combination of animals that maximise the supply of human digestible protein (HDP) to a EU-28 case study. We first explored the potential of common livestock species in the EU (e.g. pigs, laying hens, broilers, dairy cattle and beef cattle) under various productivity levels. Optimal use of LCF required livestock systems that had a high conversion efficiency (laying hens, dairy cattle), were best able to valorise specific LCF (dairy cattle for grass; pigs for food waste) and could valorise low quality LCF due to their low productivity. When, in addition, considering fishcurrently the only natural source of the essential eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) ω-3 fatty acids-while demanding EPA/DHA requirements are met, fish provide nutritious food via both capture fisheries and fish farming. Even if capture fisheries rebuilds stocks and prioritises edible fish for human consumption, it can only fulfil 40% of EPA/DHA requirements. The farmed fatty fish needed to meet these requirements depend on fisheries by-products to meet their EPA/DHA requirements and livestock slaughter by-products to meet their high fat and protein requirements. A circular food system thus requires a combination of co-dependent animal production systems, tailored to the available LCF and the desired nutrient output. As the availability of food leftovers as LCF is currently restricted by legislation and other barriers, we explored the potential of food leftovers currently not used as LCF. Potential to increase animal protein intake was highest for, currently banned, household waste (+12%) and livestock byproducts (+18%) that are allowed in fish feed but currently not used and appear essential to meet human requirements of EPA/DHA ω-3 fatty acids in a circular food system. Improved use and legalisation of inevitable food leftovers can improve the resource use efficiency of both current and future circular food systems. When allowing all LCF in a circular food system, livestock and fish provide an HDP intake up to 39 g per capita per day, less than current animal protein supply but meeting 65% of total protein requirements. A circular food system, thus, requires a reduction in ASF consumption, and a change in the type of ASF we consume, where fish and milk become more prominent. While the used food systems approach illustrates the potential of animal production in a circular food system, it provides little direction to farmers in achieving sustainab...

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Resource-efficient use of land and animals—Environmental impacts of food systems based on organic cropping and avoided food-feed competition

Cited by 53 publications

References 31 publications

Sustainability Assessment of Food Redistribution Initiatives in Sweden

Sustainability Assessment of Food Redistribution Initiatives in Sweden

Regional land use efficiency and nutritional quality of protein production

Upcycling biomass in a circular food system : The role of livestock and fish

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