When someone mentions energy, what are the first thoughts you have? In your daily life, it can be seen in obvious ways: city lights, electric cars, heating in the winter, and even the screen you’re using to read this.
Now, I’d like you to picture your kitchen. Not only the fridge, the stove, or your blender, but the food itself.
Where did it come from? What does energy have to do with food?
Before food reaches our plates, it goes through a process in which energy is used along the way. The amount of energy varies depending on the product. In fact, more than 30% of the world’s energy is used to power the food system.
Without reliable and affordable energy, it would be difficult to keep food on shelves and prices reasonable in Canada, leading to food insecurity. Energy is needed in modern agriculture every step of the way, including in production, processing, and preservation.
You might say that energy security is food security.
But how is energy actually used in food production? Let’s take a deeper look.
Primary production is the very beginning, when food is grown and harvested. For effective cultivation, several steps are involved, including planting, irrigation, harvesting, and internal transportation. To do this, machinery is needed, such as fuel for tractors, electricity for irrigation systems, and energy to produce fertilizers.
Once the product is obtained, it is processed to enhance it or make it ready for sale. This includes washing, slicing, mixing, cooking, and categorizing. In addition, different tests are conducted for quality control and safety. Packaging is also important for preservation, shelf life, and branding.
Each of these steps requires electricity, petroleum, and other forms of energy.
What food production also requires is people! Canada’s agri-food/agriculture sector employs approximately 1 out of 9 Canadians and generates nearly $150 billion annually, which is around 7% of Canada’s GDP. The sector is an integral component of the Canadian economy.
Food must then be transported to its final destination and must stored properly to avoid spoilage. This process includes extensive reliance on petroleum products systems and complex cooling/heating systems to maintain quality, food safety, and timely delivery.
The food we eat can be local. It can also come from other provinces or countries. For example, how did that coffee from Ethiopia end up on your counter? A ship, probably. What about the Quebec maple syrup you put on your pancakes? It was probably trucked to your local grocery store.
At the store level, many products require refrigeration or heating to remain safe and fresh. These systems run continuously, even overnight, to maintain stable temperatures. Open freezer aisles, refrigerated display cases, and storage rooms all rely on massive amounts of electricity. All of this energy use ensures that our food is available, safe to consume, and consistently stocked when you walk into the grocery store.
At home, energy use continues. Refrigeration is needed for preservation. Cooking appliances are used for consumption. Buying groceries and cooking are often the only ways we actually see how energy and food interact in our daily lives.
The energy that goes into producing our food is often hidden to us as consumers. What’s also hidden to us is just how much energy is lost due to food waste.
Food leftovers or food that spoils and is thrown away can be considered wasted energy. After everything food goes through before reaching your plate, throwing it away means the required energy inputs go to waste, too.
What’s more, throwing away unused food doesn’t end its energy journey. Waste treatment processes require energy. Organic and kitchen waste makes up about 30% of the waste disposed of by Canadian households. Letting food go bad not only wastes the energy that was used to produce, transport, and market it, but also creates further energy usage for waste disposal.
Next time you open your fridge or throw something away, it’s worth remembering: food isn’t just what’s on your plate. It’s the result of a complex system powered by energy at every step. Reducing our food waste reduces unnecessary energy use. Plus, in this economy, we can’t afford to let groceries go to waste!
If you want to learn more about Canadian government initiatives to avoid food loss and waste, visit here.
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