Meat eater's guide, supermarket access, and vertical farming

Meat Eater's Guide ranks foods by environmental, health effects. Lamb, beef, cheese, and farmed salmon generate the most greenhouse gases of 20 popular meat, fish, dairy and vegetable proteins, according to a new study from the Environmental Working Group. This study looked primarily at the ecological footprint via life cycle analysis based on CO2 output from farm to table. A useful parameter, especially considering climate change, though I would argue not the only factor (how accessible alternative options and can those alternatives be mass produced?). Still, it's a useful reminder that eating less meat (even just one meal per week) and more organic produce is better for the environment and human health.

Access to supermarkets doesn't improve diets, study finds. The study found that people didn't eat more fruits and vegetables when they had supermarkets available in their neighborhoods. Instead, income — and proximity to fast-food restaurants — were the strongest factors in food choice. Not surprising. Even if people are aware of the nutritional cons, if produce costs more upfront and you don't have the time to cook it, then fast food is the way to go. I do agree with the article on the point that not all grocery markets are created equal (having more expensive health food options at stores in low income areas). The problem is figuring out what's the root of the problem - lack of access to (cheaper) healthy food, lack of income, lack of knowledge, or combination of factors.

Vertical farming: Can urban agriculture feed a hungry world?: Another article on growing food in high rise buildings designed to simulate outdoor farm environments. Experts say that vertical farming could feed up to 10 billion people and make agriculture independent of the weather and the need for land. But such urban farms need huge amounts of energy, to the point where it becomes way too energy intensive to bring to the scale needed for feeding a city or country. The article reports that there has been progress with ThePlantLab in the Netherlands, a 10yr company that has grown many different plant species 3 stories underground without natural sunlight. I'd like to know more on how they're accomplishing this (genetic selection, energy efficient light technology?), but the crux is still the energy factor. If it's not energy efficient on large scale, maybe this is something that can only be accomplished on the small scale and maybe that's the direction that needs to be taken in the long run (individual gardens).