WWF - For a living planet

The food we produce is putting our planet’s natural environment under stress:   

• from the pollution which can result from the pesticides and fertilisers used in farming
• from the Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions emitted during the production and distribution of food
• by cutting down forests so that food can be grown or cattle graze – affecting wildlife and habitats in sensitive regions such as the Amazon rainforest
• from the water used for growing crops, which affects sensitive environments.

In the UK, we currently produce about 60% of the food we eat. But trends suggest that imported food will make up a higher portion. In the UK, the food we eat – growing, producing and importing it – is already responsible for 17% of our carbon emissions (rising to 30% if we take into account the effect this has on deforestation).

The challenge

How do we reduce the impact of the food we consume and feed the world's growing population?

While a quarter of the world’s population do not have enough food, over 40% of the world’s grain harvest is fed to livestock. Predominantly meat-based diets, like we have in the UK, are very inefficient. Farming animals for meat and dairy requires huge inputs of land and water for growing animal feed - on average, 6kg of plant protein is required to produce just 1kg of meat protein. If we want to protect our natural environment, we will therefore need to reconsider our dietary habits.

We have also seen a rapid rise in the price of basic foods over the past year, leading to a food crisis affecting the world’s poorest people. We need a fairer distribution of the world’s food resources, which may mean increasing food consumption in some parts of the world while decreasing it in others.

What is WWF doing about it?

If we are to achieve a One Planet Future where people and nature thrive together, we need to reconsider the types of food we eat in the UK and where and how our food is produced.

Our One Planet Food campaign will therefore raise awareness about how the food we eat in the UK affects the health of the planet, and help people to change the way they choose their food.

We will work with and influence key players in the UK food industry – including retailers, producers, food processors, governments and charities – to transform the way UK food is supplied. This will involve looking at a variety of issues, including the way food is produced, how it is financed and the way the food sector is governed.  

We will also work with the international WWF Network to create sustainable solutions for key commodities – such as fish, soy, beef or palm oil – that threaten particularly important habitats and species.