The rapid loss of biodiversity, largely driven by industrial farming, could be as big a threat to our existence as climate change. Here’s why industrial meat is so bad for people and the planet: Industrial meat is the single biggest cause of deforestation globally. Since fast food is lacking in fiber, it can cause these problems. Some of the UK’s biggest supermarkets and fast food chains including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Burger King, McDonald’s and KFC are fuelling the problem. It could also lead to less rainfall, affecting drinking water and irrigation across large parts of South America; and changes to climate patterns in other parts of the world too. That’s why Greenpeace is calling on Tesco and other companies to start playing their part. Fast food can also cause inflammation in your arteries, which unfortunately makes it even easier for plaque to stick to the walls of your arteries. Fast fashion’s low quality changes how you think about clothes. Updated: Nov 7, 2017, 13:33 IST. 40 Approximately 4 to 10 percent of food purchased by restaurants is wasted before reaching the consumer. Many people are scared of sharks, but should they be more afraid of us? This may be due to causing hormonal changes in the body. Even though food looks like it was a generation ago, it is not the same at its core, and mass-producing it has proven detrimental to society, bringing too much negative effects on life. The additives in fast food can also hurt your kidney function. This makes it harder for your brain to send signals. According to information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 45% of a family's food budget goes toward eating out somewhere. In countries like the UK, we need to be eating 70% less meat and dairy by 2030 to prevent climate breakdown. The industrial meat system requires a huge amount of land to sustain itself. 3. Over time, this can cause plaque to build up in your arteries and cause heart disease. That’s an area equivalent to the US, China, Europe and Australia combined. And when fast food frequently replaces nutritious whole foods in your diet, it can lead to all sorts of bad health outcomes. © 2017 MedHealthDaily.com | All rights reserved, Green Discharge in Vagina: Causes and Treatments. In research studies, fast food has been found to be nearly as bad for your liver as alcohol consumption. © Pablo Petracci. When you eat junk food that is filled with sugar, it causes a spike in your blood sugar. Listen to this article read aloud by the author. If everyone ate a plant-based diet, we’d need 75% less farmland than we use today. If we cut them down, they can no longer help us in the fight against climate change. In addition, the sugar and fats can also increase your chances of developing dementia. Is that such an escape from the ordinary? Ellen Ruppel Shell, author of Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture, argues that when we buy “cheap chic” clothes at places like Target or Mango, even though there’s not planned obsolescence — the clothing isn’t designed to fall apart (though some have alleged that it is) — we don’t expect it to last. Fast food is a convenient and an affordable way to fill ones belly, especially when one is on the run. In addition, the high fat content can cause your stomach to produce more acid, which irritates the stomach’s inner lining. If you just eat junk food and fast food once every few months, this probably won’t cause any problems. Affecting an estimated 121 million people worldwide, results reveal that consumers of fast food are 51 percent more likely to develop depression or some form of mental illness.2. 284934). Meat and dairy farms are the biggest factor behind change in the way land is used globally, often prompting deforestation and diverting resources away from other valuable needs. Methane, of course, is a greenhouse gas, which many scientists believe adversely affects the earth’s climate and temperature (i.e., climate change/global warming). The fast food industry is more expensive than the average home-cooked meal. All Rights Reserved. From the production and processing of the ingredients to the serving of the finished product to the customer, fast food is the worst food option for the environment. And reheating already cooked food also decreases its Vitamin B12, Thiamin and Vitamin C by 45 Percent. 2. The more forest that is destroyed, the greater the risk of a new pandemic. Corporate monsters are destroying the forest home of the jaguar to produce meat on a huge scale. Text and images © Greenpeace. Destroying forests and other wild areas for animal agriculture is a major cause of new infectious diseases. The way fast food restaurants provide food is no longer providing a service, but providing manufactured goods. Almost three million chickens are consumed in the UK every day. So, the fast-food giant has started making a few changes in recent years. » Disposed plastic materials can remain in the environment for up to 2,000 years and longer. An investigation by Greenpeace Brazil showed that security forces working for soya producer Agronegócio Estrondo harassed, detained, abducted and shot members of the traditional geraizeira communities. You don’t have to leave your email address or phone number, but if you do, we’ll use these to keep you updated on how you can get involved through petitions, campaigning, volunteering and donating. Reasons why fast food is bad for health. It’s the same for anything. Since fast food is low in vitamins and minerals, your immune system can suffer. The climate impact of meat is enormous – roughly equivalent to all the driving and flying of every car, truck and plane in the world. 6. Meanwhile, high fat and sugar content can increase your chances of having colorectal cancer. When a fast-food restaurant is significantly closer to your home than a grocery store, things are unbalanced. Because of how busy the modern lifestyle happens to be in the developed world, many families find themselves taking a trip to their favorite fast food restaurant more often than they would care to admit. Summary. So here is another reason to not east fast food, it makes you smarter, free of cost. This is because fast food is extremely low in the minerals and nutrients that you need. Depression can be caused by eating the wrong foods and living an unbalanced lifestyle. With that being said, here are significant reasons why food waste should be lessened. If it has spicy ingredients in it, the fast food can cause a painful, burning sensation as it irritates your stomach. A 2013 FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) report, which was the first study to analyze the impacts of global food wastage on the environment, says that nearly one-third of all food produced in the world for human consumption does not find its way to our tables. Supermarkets, like Tesco, play a huge role in shaping customer demand through advertising, price cuts and special promotions. Time seems to stand still when you’re in the presence of these magnificent animals. Living on fringe food is bad for your wallet and it's also bad for your health. Your information is safe and secure with us – read our privacy policy. 1. That includes suppliers to JBS (the meat processing giant). Well, in a culture in which roughly half the food we purchase is already fully prepared, 77 percent of it from fast-food restaurants, and almost a quarter of it all consumed on the road, let's take a moment to slow down, and see what these bonuses from the other persuasion might be. We take the security of your data seriously. Instead, it is filled with saturated fat, processed foods and sodium. Even though one should not feel bad for an infrequent indulgence, frequent consumption of fast food can extremely damage one’s health due to the excess fat as well as calories. They found that it decreased their ability to learn new skills and remember things. Some of you might be wondering now, why all the fuss about eating in? Millions of people's lives depend on a dramatic reduction in the consumption of meat and dairy. Eating fast food can hurt your health negatively because it is high in calories and sugar, but has little nutritional benefits. These cause your LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides levels to rise in the blood. The vast majority of meat bought in the UK is produced in intensive factory farms. HGH Therapy Doctor (Clinic) in San Francisco, Relation Between Bulbous Nose, Alcohol and Rosacea, Bulging Hand Veins: Causes and Treatments. It causes climate change. Forest fires are set deliberately to clear land for grazing or to grow huge volumes of animal feed. The convenience store at the corner gas station isn't so convenient if you want to include fruits and vegetables in your diet. Over a quarter of the world’s entire land area is used to graze or grow food for farm animals – food that could have been eaten by people in the first place. Chips may be tasty but they've never been part of the USDA's food pyramid. Meanwhile, President Bolsonaro and his government tacitly encourage illegal loggers, miners and farmers to occupy Indigenous lands, by rolling back historic regulations and trying to legalise land-grabbing. Many fast food products are high in fat content, high in sodium, and low in overall nutrition. Fast food contains loads of added salt (and I don’t mean mineral-rich sea salt), cell-damaging oils, and sugar (yes, even in the savory items). Financial impact During the five years where the UK was able to reduce its food waste, households were able to save £6.5 billion. And despite committing to stop supporting forest destruction by 2020, they are still buying meat from suppliers linked to deforestation. Fast food is bad for our bodies, but it also harms the earth. Here are 17 scary side effects of a fast-food diet—all of which can happen to your body in a relatively short amount of time. Jaguars are dying out, having lost nearly 38% of their habitat in Brazil. ... Wildlife become entangled in plastic, they eat it or mistake it for food and feed it to their young, and it is found littered in even extremely remote areas of the Earth. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Effects of Eating Fast Food. Eating meat has ‘dire’ consequences for the planet, says report. With meals priced at $2 or less in some locations, even low-income households can access food so they do not need to deal with hunger. Many of these household names buy from companies owned by JBS – the largest meat processing company in the world. Healthy trees are essential for absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. In Brazil, farmers are deliberately setting forest fires – like the Amazon rainforest fires you may have seen in the news – to clear space for cattle ranching and to grow industrial animal feed, like soya, for farms back in the UK. Companies sometimes argue that industrial meat is an efficient way to produce food, but this ignores its true costs. When forests are destroyed to produce industrial meat, billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere, accelerating global warming. Forests, particularly in South America, are deliberately slashed and burned every year to graze cattle and grow enough crops to feed billions of farmed animals. But not everyone has the same reason for doing so, yet no matter the motive, we can all agree that there’s at least one major reason as to why. They’re classified as ‘near threatened’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Land invasions often become violent and loggers have killed Indigenous People in these conflicts. Meat – or more specifically, ‘industrial meat’ – is bad for the planet. If you know how to shop intelligently at the grocery store, then you can serve meals at home for as little as two dollars per person. The combination of fat, sugar, and lots of sodium (salt) can make fast food tastier to some people. And it’s not just red meat that’s the problem. Your body needs the right nutrients to function properly. It is associated with the fact that fast foods lack in iron content which is an important ingredient for the development of our brain cells. We depend on a healthy environment for our own survival. Just 1kg of chicken meat takes 3.2kg of crops to produce. In addition, the trans fat from the fast food you eat can leave deposits in the liver that cause problems later on. When your diet lacks these nutrients, it can cause emotional and mental problems. That wrapping paper and paper containers that hold your burgers, fries, burritos, etc. Your body needs fiber to function properly. While it is extremely high in calories, it often causes fatigue and weakness. DepressionStudies show that piggin’ out on junk food is directly linked to depression, even in small quantities. By contrast, real food doesn’t … This means that viruses can develop more rapidly and have the potential to pass to humans. Here's another thing to worry about at a fast food restaurant: the packaging. We can’t wait another 10 years for action. Cutting down and burning forests brings wildlife into closer contact with people, enabling deadly viruses to pass from animals to humans. Researchers gave animals a diet of fast food. Before long, this problem can cause you to develop type 2 diabetes. Freezing loses 30 percent of food's Vitamin C and 10 percent of its Potassium. Indigenous People and traditional communities – like the geraizeira communities in Brazil –  are at the frontline in the fight to protect forests. Three quarters of new diseases affecting humans come from animals. We take the security of your data seriously. The disadvantage of fast food is the quality of calories that are being consumed. Why Do You Feel Hungover When You Don’t Drink. Tesco sells more meat and uses more soya for animal feed than any other supermarket in the UK. If you eat fast food all the time, it can affect how your body processes insulin. This system is driven by supermarkets like Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda; as well as fast food chains like KFC, Burger King and McDonald’s. Impact of food waste on the environment But this isn’t just about people’s individual choices. Another study demonstrates the full effect added sugars from soda and energy drinks are wreaking havoc on American waistlines. can be bad … Your body needs to have vitamins and minerals to have a healthy immune system. 2. An excess of sodium leads to all sorts of trouble such as high blood pressure and mineral and electrolyte imbalances. Livestock is one of the biggest sources of pollution and environmental negligence, according to the UN. You have entered an incorrect email address! They must replace that meat with more plant-based food options, and immediately stop buying from companies owned by forest destroyers, JBS. 12. Here are some ways in which fast food pollutes the earth and some suggestions on how to minimize the damage when eating out. The fallen trees are often left to rot on the forest floor or are burned, creating further emissions. When forests are destroyed to produce industrial meat, billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere, accelerating global warming. JBS’ abattoirs have been linked to terrible working conditions, mass outbreaks of Covid-19 and salmonella-ridden chicken exports. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. They need to halve the amount of meat they sell by 2025, and ultimately phase out industrial meat entirely. You can opt out at any time. I'll never forget my first time diving with sharks. © Fred Dott / Greenpeace. Since fast food has almost no fiber, this means that it can increase your cancer risk. But that’s not the only disease risk from industrial meat. While you need food to survive, it really has to be the right food. The climate impact of meat is enormous – roughly equivalent to all the driving and flying of every car, truck and plane in the world. Trees in the Amazon rainforest produce their own rainfall, which keeps the whole forest alive and healthy. Currently you have JavaScript disabled. Eating fast food consistently for just four weeks can badly hurt your liver enzymes. The huge abundance and variety of the natural world (sometimes called biodiversity) is essential for food, clean water and medicines. By clearing forests, destroying habitats and using toxic pesticides to grow animal food, the industrial meat industry is contributing to the extinction of thousands of species, many of which haven’t even been discovered yet. © Denisa Šterbová / Greenpeace. Through its meat production, JBS produces around half the carbon emissions of fossil fuel giants such as Shell or BP, and is driving deforestation in the Amazon. In our oceans alone, plastic debris outweighs zooplankton by a ratio of 36-to-1. A new Greenpeace report reveals that UK supermarkets, including Tesco, and fast food companies are funding the destruction. When you eat fast food, you are consuming a diet high in salt. Mass meat producer, JBS, has been repeatedly linked to suppliers who operate illegally on protected Indigenous lands. fast food is extremely low in the minerals and nutrients that you need In 1977, that rate was at just 38%. Where McDonald's burgers used to be so pumped full of chemical additives and preservatives that the patties could supposedly withstand years without visibly aging, the company has brought in some simpler recipes and more authentic ingredients to try to turn things around. Learn more about the reasons why fast food is bad for you. 1. You know that you need healthy, or it could affect your long-term health. If fast food is your go-to comfort food or any-time-of-the-day food … These farms are part of a destructive global system of mass-produced industrial meat and dairy. Your information is safe and secure with us – read our privacy policy. If we lose the world’s forests like the Amazon, we lose precious wildlife and the home of many Indigenous Peoples. The world’s largest wetland, the Brazilian Pantanal, was ravaged by fires in 2020. Tell these companies to stop buying from forest destroyers. If deforestation (for things like industrial meat) continues at the current rate, the Amazon could reach a ‘tipping point’, where it can no longer sustain itself as a rainforest. The excessive sodium disturbs the balance of potassium and sodium within your kidneys. The report from FAIRR identified three key ways in which the fast food industry is bad for the environment: its use of land, its consumption of water and its emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Whatever the case, fast food is linked to emotional disturbances like depression among frequent fast food consumers. Another one of the reasons why fast food is bad for you is because of the saturated and trans fats. deliberately slashed and burned every year, frontline in the fight to protect forests, encourage illegal loggers, miners and farmers to occupy Indigenous lands, as big a threat to our existence as climate change, enabling deadly viruses to pass from animals to humans, Over a quarter of the world’s entire land area, we need to be eating 70% less meat and dairy, sells more meat and uses more soya for animal feed, I was terrified of sharks... until I dived with them, Revealed: how Tesco fuelled record breaking fires in Brazil’s wetlands, UK supermarkets linked to 2020’s record-breaking fires in Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands, Greenpeace Environmental Trust (Charity No. As that food begins to decompose or rot, it releases methane gas. In turn, we’ve compiled these 10 reasons – that we can all relate to – of why people choose to eat fast food. Derailing your weight loss goals is just one. In addition, another reason why fast food is bad for you is that consuming too much sodium (fast food is very high in sodium) increases the chances of suffering from osteoporosis. By - TNN. A study has shown that children who eat fast food tend to score lower in maths, science and reading. The risk is higher for industrial meat farms because huge numbers of animals are crammed into small spaces, and the animals themselves have weaker immune systems. Fiber helps you to absorb the nutrients in your food and helps you feel full. © Campbell Plowden / Greenpeace. You don’t have to leave your phone number, but if you do, we’ll use it to keep you updated on how you can get involved through petitions, campaigning, volunteering and donating. Dental problems are due to refined sugars and carbohydrates, which are excellent for bacteria growth in your mouth. If the arteries become completely blocked, you could suffer from a heart attack.