Given that food systems account for 15% of global fossil fuel consumption, a new study has sounded the alarm about the dependence of food production on petrochemical products ahead of the UN COP28 climate change conference, according to Euractiv.

Less oil

The fossil fuel industry is heavily investing in petrochemicals to curb the reliance of food production on oil, according to the report published on Thursday (November 2) by the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, a group of philanthropic foundations promoting sustainable food systems, including Heinrich Böll Stiftung and the Rockefeller Foundation.

The report is one of the first attempts by researchers to estimate the global use of fossil fuels and petrochemical products throughout the entire food supply chain.

Examples of dependence on petrochemical products include plastic used in packaging, as well as industrial processes for manufacturing inputs for crops, such as pesticides and fertilizers.

While the processing and packaging stage remains the most energy-consuming component of the food system, "the increase, especially in fossil fuel consumption, is higher up in the supply chain," said Patty Fong, the director of the Global Alliance, to Euractiv.

Too much dependence

"There is an increasing dependence on external inputs based on fossil fuels, such as fertilizers. Here, the petrochemical industry is expanding its markets," she added.

This excessive dependence on fossil fuels in the food sector is expected to be addressed at the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which will begin at the end of November in Dubai.

For the first time, the annual UN environmental summit will have a Food Day, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will outline its roadmap to keep the world within the internationally agreed temperature limit of 1.5 degrees.

The report also calls for a transition to agroecological production systems that rely less on external inputs, replacing residual needs with ecological solutions, such as organic fertilizers and on-farm pest management practices.

"Simply decarbonizing fertilizers is not the answer. It's more than greenhouse gas emissions; there are also other environmental effects, such as water and air pollution," said Fong.

Reducing the environmental footprint and energy consumption in the food system, as well as increasing its energy efficiency, are among the key points of the Farm to Fork strategy, the EU's flagship food policy.

Rising energy bills have prompted the horticulture sector in the EU to try to preserve its produce just as harvest time comes, leaving some to debate whether to simply let their crops rot—and even whether to continue growing in the future.

Hidden health costs

The report highlighted that a 49% reduction in the energy intensity of global food systems could have a substantial impact by generating significant health co-benefits.

Health costs are often overlooked, according to Fong. "These are borne by individuals and governments, not by companies producing food," she said.

A potential benefit could be "a shift to less processed plant-rich diets, especially where meat and saturated fat consumption is high or increasing to levels that risk human and/or planetary health," the report states.

At the same time, many unhealthy products benefit from government subsidies, according to Fang. "If we redirect them to the production of vegetables, fresh fruits, and healthier crops, we will see changes in costs," she added.

The report warns of Westernization of diets, as "the marketing of ultra-processed foods in low-income regions displaces traditional foods and diets," said Fong.

According to research from 2019, ultra-processed products such as snacks, soft drinks, and ready-made meals are considered to be two to ten times more energy-consuming than whole foods.

High-income countries "must take a leadership role" in moving away from such unhealthy products, said Fong.

"Plant-rich diets that are minimally processed are not only healthier for communities but also ecological," she concluded.