How is the food we eat causing deforestation?
Forests like the Amazon and other precious landscapes around the world – home to some of our most iconic species – are being destroyed. And the food we eat is contributing to this destruction.
Some of our most amazing places are being burned to clear land, which is then used to raise livestock directly or to grow crops – particularly soy – to feed animals such as chicken, pigs and fish. Rainforests are also being destroyed to produce unsustainable palm oil and cocoa.
Too often the food we’re consuming right here in the UK has direct links with the destruction of some of our most precious places. We need to end this.
What food causes deforestation?
From chicken to fish to products containing palm oil such as pizza and chocolate, nearly half of global deforestation is caused by the food we eat.
The scary truth is that it’s often not possible to know where deforestation is hiding in our food. While we can all do our best to eat more sustainably, it’s very hard for individuals to avoid deforestation in our food altogether. That’s why we need Government to put an end to this.
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© Stephen Conroy / WWF UKFull English
<p>Soy is the main culprit when it comes to deforestation in food. More than 80% of soy is fed to animals such as pigs – which is the pork sausages in your breakfast fry up. Unsustainable soy might also be fed to the chicken’s providing your eggs. </p>
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© Stephen Conroy / WWF UKChicken curry
<p>The chicken in your Saturday night takeaway is a good example of ‘hidden’ deforestation – it’s actually the soy fed to chickens which could be causing the destruction of precious habitats.</p>
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© Stephen Conroy / WWF-UKPloughmans
<p>It’s not just meat that could be causing deforestation. Unsustainable soy might also be fed to cows in the dairy industry – meaning cheese, milk or eggs could all be indirectly causing the destruction of our forests. </p>
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© Stephen Conroy / WWF UKCoffee & croissant
<p>Beyond soy, palm oil is found in up to 50% of packaged products in supermarkets – which could include your croissant. Unsustainable palm oil is a major driver of deforestation, destroying the habitat of species like the Orangutan. </p>
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How does soy cause deforestation?
Soy is a highly nutritious protein source that we might eat directly as tofu, edamame beans, soy sauce or soymilk – but in fact most of it, a whopping 80% is used as animal feed. Chicken, farmed salmon and pork are the animal products containing the most ‘hidden soy’ currently found on our shelves.
The continued expansion of soy has led to vast amounts of deforestation in some of the world’s most precious areas, such as the Cerrado - home to iconic species such as the jaguar.
What can I do to help?
We want UK Government to end deforestation in our food – so that nobody is buying food that causes the destruction of some of our most amazing places. With vital new laws going through Parliament as part of an Environment Bill, we need to raise our voices now more than ever.