MARCO FILOSOFICO

In total, providing the 15900 kJ of food energy available per capita per day in the United States is estimated to consume 10.8 million TJ annually. This represents about 10% of the to- tal energy consumed in the United States (EIA 2001). By our estimates, therefore, it takes about 7.3 units of (primarily) fossil energy to produce one unit of food energy in the U.S. food system. This value is somewhat lower than estimates reported by others. Pimentel and Pimen- tel 1996 and Hall et al. 1986 both estimate 10 units of input energy per unit of output food en- ergy.

Conclusions

Land, sufficient topsoil, water, and human capital are all essential inputs for a sustainable food system. A sustainable food system must also be founded on a sustainable diet. In the most general sense, this would be a diet that matched energy intake with energy expenditure while supplying necessary nutrients for a healthy lifestyle. The greatest leverage point for en- hancing the sustainability of the U.S. food system lies with the level of consumption and amount of food waste. Significant improvements in diet not only have direct health benefits and reduced costs of diet related diseases but also more than proportionally reduce environ- mental impacts from agricultural production. The opportunity to reduce food production is

tremendous by limiting excess consumption estimated at 8382 kJ per capita per day and edi- ble food waste estimated at 26%. A reduction by one third is not unrealistic.

The economics of the U.S. food system also needs some fundamental adjustments to reverse unsustainable social and environmental impacts. Entry of young farmers into the profession is declining and production is shifting to larger scale farms, which are less ecologically sustain- able. A systems-based solution would combine a reduction in food consumption and waste while maintaining revenues to farmers for less food output. The disposable income spent on food could be held constant in this scenario and costs of diet related diseases would be dra- matically reduced. Until society places a higher value on food, the reported unsustainable pat- terns will continue. It is clear that governmental policies that address both production and consumption are necessary to advance the sustainability of our food system.

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