European Union in the Context of the Current Model of Production and Consumption: Food Self-Sufficiency from a Photosynthetic Energy Perspective

Joan-Carles Gil-Martin; Yvonne Colomer-Xena; Eusebi Jarauta-Bragulat; Ramon Clotet-Ballus

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajaf.20231103.12

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European Union in the Context of the Current Model of Production and Consumption: Food Self-Sufficiency from a Photosynthetic Energy Perspective

Joan-Carles Gil-Martin, Yvonne Colomer-Xena, Eusebi Jarauta-Bragulat, Ramon Clotet-Ballus

Published in American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry (Volume 11, Issue 3)

Received: 25 April 2023 Accepted: 17 May 2023 Published: 5 June 2023

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Abstract

For their effective management, food systems need to have an understanding of their capacity for self-sufficiency in a sustainable environment, not only to achieve goal 2 (zero hunger) of the 17 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but also considering all the interrelationships between them. The European Union (EU) can be considered a complex food system due to the territorial identity of regulations that define it from production to consumption, so it makes sense to study the balance of food energy produced and consumed in its different forms. The complexity of this system requires to have detailed data for its study; The available official data often lacks these details, so it has been necessary to carry out an extensive additional search for complementary data. In this work, the EU is considered as a closed system both in population and in exchanges of valid products for its food and refers exclusively to food energy, its production and consumption, without taking into account the consumption of energy corresponding to the operation of all the agri-food chain. Food consumption, intake plus waste, has been calculated considering as intake not only basic energy consumption, but also extra consumption due to cultural, social or behavioral causes. The availability of real food energy has been evaluated from the initial value obtained from all sources and from there the photosynthetic energy dedicated to intensive livestock and equivalents and that destined to other non-food uses has been deduced. Apart from the partial data (see comments and conclusions), the global results of this study show a dietary energy deficit of the order of 17%, due to an excess of consumption, waste and the allocation to collateral uses of a part of the available energy. The information and knowledge provided by the results obtained have to be valid in order to contribute to the analysis of food strategies in the EU and provide solutions.

Published in	American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry (Volume 11, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajaf.20231103.12
Page(s)	82-91
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Food Self-Sufficiency, Photosynthetic Production, European Union, Food Consumption, Sustainable Production, Food Systems, Nutrition

References

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[3]	Clotet, R., Jarauta, E. and Colomer, Y. (2019). Food availability databases: statistical gaps and proposals for improvement. Quaderns Agraris, 46: 129-138. ICEA, Barcelona, 06/2019. (https://publicacions.iec.cat/repository/pdf/00000277/00000002.pdf).
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[5]	USDA. (2020). Economic and Food Security Impacts of Agricultural Input Reduction Under the European Union Green Deal's Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies. Economic Brief No. (EB-30). Economic Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC, November 2020. https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=99740.
[6]	European Commission. (2019). Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. The European Green Deal. COM/2019/640 final. European Commission, Brussels, 11/12/2019. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1576150542719&uri=COM%3A2019%3A640%3AFIN.
[7]	Vasson, MP and Jardel, A., (2005), Principes de nutrition pour le pharmacien. Editorial Tec & Doc/Lavoisier-Paris (pp. 189-190).
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[10]	Conrad, Z., Niles, MT, Neher, DA, Roy, ED, Tichenor, NE, Jahns, L. (2018). Relationship between food waste, diet quality, and environmental sustainability. PLoS ONE 13 (4): 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0195405.
[11]	European Commission. (2010). Preparatory Study on Food Waste across EU-27. Technical Report - 2010 – 054. European Commission, Brussels, October 2010. (https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/pdf/bio_foodwaste_report.pdf).
[12]	FAO. (1997). Chapter 3 - Biological efficiency in animal production. Within Analysis of Animal Production Systems - Volume 2: the Basic Tools. FAO Technical Papers: FAO Animal Production and Health Papers 140/2. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1997. http://www.fao.org/3/w7452s/w7452s03.htm.
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[14]	Spedding, CRW, Walshingham, JM and Hoxey, AM (1981). Efficiency in Animal Production. In Biological Efficiency in Agriculture. London, Academic Press, p. 205-351.
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Joan-Carles Gil-Martin, Yvonne Colomer-Xena, Eusebi Jarauta-Bragulat, Ramon Clotet-Ballus. (2023). European Union in the Context of the Current Model of Production and Consumption: Food Self-Sufficiency from a Photosynthetic Energy Perspective. American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, 11(3), 82-91. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20231103.12

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ACS Style

Joan-Carles Gil-Martin; Yvonne Colomer-Xena; Eusebi Jarauta-Bragulat; Ramon Clotet-Ballus. European Union in the Context of the Current Model of Production and Consumption: Food Self-Sufficiency from a Photosynthetic Energy Perspective. Am. J. Agric. For. 2023, 11(3), 82-91. doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20231103.12

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AMA Style

Joan-Carles Gil-Martin, Yvonne Colomer-Xena, Eusebi Jarauta-Bragulat, Ramon Clotet-Ballus. European Union in the Context of the Current Model of Production and Consumption: Food Self-Sufficiency from a Photosynthetic Energy Perspective. Am J Agric For. 2023;11(3):82-91. doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20231103.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ajaf.20231103.12,
  author = {Joan-Carles Gil-Martin and Yvonne Colomer-Xena and Eusebi Jarauta-Bragulat and Ramon Clotet-Ballus},
  title = {European Union in the Context of the Current Model of Production and Consumption: Food Self-Sufficiency from a Photosynthetic Energy Perspective},
  journal = {American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry},
  volume = {11},
  number = {3},
  pages = {82-91},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajaf.20231103.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20231103.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajaf.20231103.12},
  abstract = {For their effective management, food systems need to have an understanding of their capacity for self-sufficiency in a sustainable environment, not only to achieve goal 2 (zero hunger) of the 17 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but also considering all the interrelationships between them. The European Union (EU) can be considered a complex food system due to the territorial identity of regulations that define it from production to consumption, so it makes sense to study the balance of food energy produced and consumed in its different forms. The complexity of this system requires to have detailed data for its study; The available official data often lacks these details, so it has been necessary to carry out an extensive additional search for complementary data. In this work, the EU is considered as a closed system both in population and in exchanges of valid products for its food and refers exclusively to food energy, its production and consumption, without taking into account the consumption of energy corresponding to the operation of all the agri-food chain. Food consumption, intake plus waste, has been calculated considering as intake not only basic energy consumption, but also extra consumption due to cultural, social or behavioral causes. The availability of real food energy has been evaluated from the initial value obtained from all sources and from there the photosynthetic energy dedicated to intensive livestock and equivalents and that destined to other non-food uses has been deduced. Apart from the partial data (see comments and conclusions), the global results of this study show a dietary energy deficit of the order of 17%, due to an excess of consumption, waste and the allocation to collateral uses of a part of the available energy. The information and knowledge provided by the results obtained have to be valid in order to contribute to the analysis of food strategies in the EU and provide solutions.},
 year = {2023}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - European Union in the Context of the Current Model of Production and Consumption: Food Self-Sufficiency from a Photosynthetic Energy Perspective
AU  - Joan-Carles Gil-Martin
AU  - Yvonne Colomer-Xena
AU  - Eusebi Jarauta-Bragulat
AU  - Ramon Clotet-Ballus
Y1  - 2023/06/05
PY  - 2023
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20231103.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajaf.20231103.12
T2  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
JF  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
JO  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
SP  - 82
EP  - 91
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-8591
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20231103.12
AB  - For their effective management, food systems need to have an understanding of their capacity for self-sufficiency in a sustainable environment, not only to achieve goal 2 (zero hunger) of the 17 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but also considering all the interrelationships between them. The European Union (EU) can be considered a complex food system due to the territorial identity of regulations that define it from production to consumption, so it makes sense to study the balance of food energy produced and consumed in its different forms. The complexity of this system requires to have detailed data for its study; The available official data often lacks these details, so it has been necessary to carry out an extensive additional search for complementary data. In this work, the EU is considered as a closed system both in population and in exchanges of valid products for its food and refers exclusively to food energy, its production and consumption, without taking into account the consumption of energy corresponding to the operation of all the agri-food chain. Food consumption, intake plus waste, has been calculated considering as intake not only basic energy consumption, but also extra consumption due to cultural, social or behavioral causes. The availability of real food energy has been evaluated from the initial value obtained from all sources and from there the photosynthetic energy dedicated to intensive livestock and equivalents and that destined to other non-food uses has been deduced. Apart from the partial data (see comments and conclusions), the global results of this study show a dietary energy deficit of the order of 17%, due to an excess of consumption, waste and the allocation to collateral uses of a part of the available energy. The information and knowledge provided by the results obtained have to be valid in order to contribute to the analysis of food strategies in the EU and provide solutions.
VL  - 11
IS  - 3
ER  -

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Author Information

Joan-Carles Gil-Martin

Department of Management, Technical University of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain
Yvonne Colomer-Xena

Department of Management, Technical University of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain
Eusebi Jarauta-Bragulat

Technical University of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain
Ramon Clotet-Ballus

UNESCO Triptolemos Chair, National University Distance Education, Madrid, Spain

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APA Style

Joan-Carles Gil-Martin, Yvonne Colomer-Xena, Eusebi Jarauta-Bragulat, Ramon Clotet-Ballus. (2023). European Union in the Context of the Current Model of Production and Consumption: Food Self-Sufficiency from a Photosynthetic Energy Perspective. American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, 11(3), 82-91. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20231103.12

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ACS Style

Joan-Carles Gil-Martin; Yvonne Colomer-Xena; Eusebi Jarauta-Bragulat; Ramon Clotet-Ballus. European Union in the Context of the Current Model of Production and Consumption: Food Self-Sufficiency from a Photosynthetic Energy Perspective. Am. J. Agric. For. 2023, 11(3), 82-91. doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20231103.12

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AMA Style

Joan-Carles Gil-Martin, Yvonne Colomer-Xena, Eusebi Jarauta-Bragulat, Ramon Clotet-Ballus. European Union in the Context of the Current Model of Production and Consumption: Food Self-Sufficiency from a Photosynthetic Energy Perspective. Am J Agric For. 2023;11(3):82-91. doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20231103.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ajaf.20231103.12,
  author = {Joan-Carles Gil-Martin and Yvonne Colomer-Xena and Eusebi Jarauta-Bragulat and Ramon Clotet-Ballus},
  title = {European Union in the Context of the Current Model of Production and Consumption: Food Self-Sufficiency from a Photosynthetic Energy Perspective},
  journal = {American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry},
  volume = {11},
  number = {3},
  pages = {82-91},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajaf.20231103.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20231103.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajaf.20231103.12},
  abstract = {For their effective management, food systems need to have an understanding of their capacity for self-sufficiency in a sustainable environment, not only to achieve goal 2 (zero hunger) of the 17 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but also considering all the interrelationships between them. The European Union (EU) can be considered a complex food system due to the territorial identity of regulations that define it from production to consumption, so it makes sense to study the balance of food energy produced and consumed in its different forms. The complexity of this system requires to have detailed data for its study; The available official data often lacks these details, so it has been necessary to carry out an extensive additional search for complementary data. In this work, the EU is considered as a closed system both in population and in exchanges of valid products for its food and refers exclusively to food energy, its production and consumption, without taking into account the consumption of energy corresponding to the operation of all the agri-food chain. Food consumption, intake plus waste, has been calculated considering as intake not only basic energy consumption, but also extra consumption due to cultural, social or behavioral causes. The availability of real food energy has been evaluated from the initial value obtained from all sources and from there the photosynthetic energy dedicated to intensive livestock and equivalents and that destined to other non-food uses has been deduced. Apart from the partial data (see comments and conclusions), the global results of this study show a dietary energy deficit of the order of 17%, due to an excess of consumption, waste and the allocation to collateral uses of a part of the available energy. The information and knowledge provided by the results obtained have to be valid in order to contribute to the analysis of food strategies in the EU and provide solutions.},
 year = {2023}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - European Union in the Context of the Current Model of Production and Consumption: Food Self-Sufficiency from a Photosynthetic Energy Perspective
AU  - Joan-Carles Gil-Martin
AU  - Yvonne Colomer-Xena
AU  - Eusebi Jarauta-Bragulat
AU  - Ramon Clotet-Ballus
Y1  - 2023/06/05
PY  - 2023
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20231103.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajaf.20231103.12
T2  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
JF  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
JO  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
SP  - 82
EP  - 91
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-8591
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20231103.12
AB  - For their effective management, food systems need to have an understanding of their capacity for self-sufficiency in a sustainable environment, not only to achieve goal 2 (zero hunger) of the 17 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but also considering all the interrelationships between them. The European Union (EU) can be considered a complex food system due to the territorial identity of regulations that define it from production to consumption, so it makes sense to study the balance of food energy produced and consumed in its different forms. The complexity of this system requires to have detailed data for its study; The available official data often lacks these details, so it has been necessary to carry out an extensive additional search for complementary data. In this work, the EU is considered as a closed system both in population and in exchanges of valid products for its food and refers exclusively to food energy, its production and consumption, without taking into account the consumption of energy corresponding to the operation of all the agri-food chain. Food consumption, intake plus waste, has been calculated considering as intake not only basic energy consumption, but also extra consumption due to cultural, social or behavioral causes. The availability of real food energy has been evaluated from the initial value obtained from all sources and from there the photosynthetic energy dedicated to intensive livestock and equivalents and that destined to other non-food uses has been deduced. Apart from the partial data (see comments and conclusions), the global results of this study show a dietary energy deficit of the order of 17%, due to an excess of consumption, waste and the allocation to collateral uses of a part of the available energy. The information and knowledge provided by the results obtained have to be valid in order to contribute to the analysis of food strategies in the EU and provide solutions.
VL  - 11
IS  - 3
ER  -

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