For all of our organic farming, sustainable eating and bans on Styrofoam containers in restaurants, the U.S. Food industry is as energy efficient as an open refrigerator on a hot summer day.
The USA Today reports that between 1997 and 2002 more than 80 percent of the energy increase was food related. And today, more than 16 percent of the U.S. energy bill belongs is related to food.
From food processors to the math associated with ramping up production to feed ever-growing numbers of people is taking its toll on food-related energy costs.
3 Reasons for skyrocketing food-related energy consumption
1. More Mouths to Feed
The U.S. population grew by more than 9.7 percent in 2010 alone.
2. Industrial Mechanized Farming
Industrial farming techniques that rely on machines rather than manual labor have, for example, driven the amount of energy required to produce a single egg by more than 40 percent, according to the USDA.
3. Your Kitchen Appliances
Home kitchen appliances are by far the biggest energy hog in the chain, responsible for more than 29 percent of the total food-related energy consumption each year. All those nifty, time-saving gadgets (including the extra freezer in the garage to hold your Costco haul of "Skinny Cow" bars and beer) really add up.
Photo By: Mikebaird
