Food
In twenty-first century Western culture we appear a little confused about food. In our societies there are a smorgasbord of cooking programmes on television, yet many spend very little time in the kitchen. Our meals often consist of pre-prepared, packaged supermarket dinners, eating on the run from fast-food outlets, or dining out at restaurants. Likewise, while we seem obsessed with the nutritional value of our food and new diets are constantly being marketed, eating disorders are prevalent and obesity is reaching epidemic levels. Meanwhile, globally, the world produces more food than at any previous time in human history and yet 800 million people (one in nine of the global population) still suffer from malnutrition or undernutrition.
How do we make sense of this? How do we eat in ways that bring wellbeing to our own lives, and those of our human and non-human neighbours, and the planet? … We believe that to be faithful in fulfilling the greatest commandments of loving God and loving our neighbours (Matthew 22:37-39) and to be good caretakers of the Earth (Gen 2:15) – which belongs to the LORD (Psalm 24:1) – requires thinking intentionally about our eating practices.
Introduction from Rich Living: Food study booklet
Small Group Resource
Rich Living: Food - A Rocha’s small group booklet is available for download from the A Rocha website. The study booklet covers four topics:
Food: You are what you eat
The modern food system
What they should we eat? Conscientious Consumption
How then should we eat? Eating for Relationships
How does our food measure up?
Below are three factors to consider in making sustainable and life-giving food choices.
Carbon Footprint - Almost 30% of global GHG emissions are linked to food production. The size of our individual carbon footprint is highly influenced by our food choices.
Check out this interactive page from Stuff for an overview of NZ food emissions - scroll down the page for pop-up guide and engagement with the data.
Water Footprint - Currently 70% of global freshwater use is for food production. Freshwater resources are under growing pressures. It’s important therefore to consider how much water goes into our food products.
Check out the Water Footprint website for more information including a snapshot of how much water is used to make a variety of products.
Animal Welfare - Research by animal behavioural scientists is highlighting the essential similarities between humans and other creatures. In the West there is a growing awareness that even when domestic animals exist for human consumption, this does not negate their basic dignity. Some questions to consider when (or if) eating meat:
Has this animal had a good life? (i.e. Has this chicken been able to live free from cruelty? What is its life expectancy? Quality of life?)
Has this animal had a pain-free death?
Excerpt from The Pollinator: Jasmine Kwong on caring for creation in what we eat
For a long time, I have been fascinated by how food connects Creator and creation. First, food is intricately connected to human life. We depend on food for survival; we are motivated by nutrition and worried about calories. We relate to one another over shared meals. We can even witness the breakdown of social barriers when we break bread together.
Second, food is a clear connection to the rest of God’s creation. Through the food we eat, we see the web of relationships in the natural world. Sun, soil, water, microorganisms, plants and animals are all connected to one another. And if we are able to trace where our food comes from, we can narrow the gap between the natural world and the meals on our tables.
Third and perhaps most importantly, food points us back to Creator God. After all, food comes from the world that God created. How amazing that we were designed to be nourished from the rest of the created world.
Food is a tangible way for us to nurture our relationship with Jesus, Lord of all creation. The giver of life reminds us of the life offered to us every time we eat from his creation. When we give thanks for the food we eat, we extend gratitude not only for the meal, but for our lives sustained.
We see the truth that God is our ultimate provider reflected throughout the Bible. We read about God’s provision of manna and quail to the Israelites in the wilderness (Exodus 16) and Jesus serving breakfast to his disciples on the beach (John 21). These meal provisions serve as tangible reminders of God’s presence with and invitation to his people.
I am more and more convinced that food is the easiest entry point into creation care. Caring for creation through food is something all of us can begin at home.
From a posture of worship, food can help to ground us in our relationship with God. We can begin to care for creation in a new way. This means that we cannot simply eat to survive. We are compelled to eat with care and with remembrance:
We consider the quality of the food we eat.
We are concerned for the poor and the hungry.
We are intentional about who we invite to our tables.
We are mindful of the resources we share with wildlife and our interaction with the land and seascape.
We are grateful to the One who loves all creation.
This journey may lead us to unlearn some bad food habits. We may need courage to adopt new ones. We may even form a new commitment to creation care through how and what we eat.
Let’s start with one meal at a time. Soon, the food we eat may become an integral part of our walk with and witness for Christ.
Jasmine Kwong
Creation Care Catalyst, Lausanne Movement
Creation Care Advocate, OMF International
DefaultVeg
A challenge from CreatureKind is to be DefaultVeg - to make plant-based food the default. At church or other group events, give people the choice to opt in for meals with animal products if necessary, instead of having to opt out of them. A DefaultVeg approach is simple, inclusive, and cost-effective.
Just Kai
Just Kai researches supply chains to find and promote slave free choices. Just Kai encourages Kiwis to buy food they're confident wasn't produced by slaves. Why? If no one buys slave-produced goods, then that's one less reason to enslave people in the first place. It's one way we can all help to end Modern Slavery.
Just Kai focuses on the three foods where slavery is most common, which are fish, cocoa and sugar. They produce buying guides on food with a high risk of slavery in its supply chain, particularly fish, cocoa/chocolate and sugar. Just Kai founder, Heather Roberts, is available to speak at churches, community organisations and events, particularly in the Auckland region.
Pātaka Kai | Food Pantry | Community Food and Veg Stand
Pātaka Kai, which means storehouse or pantry in te reo Māori, is a place where people can leave food for other people to take for free. It is a community, grassroots, crowd sourced solution to immediate and local need, rescuing food and encouraging the co-sharing between neighbours to strengthen communities. Whether a need for food or a need to give, the Pātaka Kai facilitates neighbours helping neighbours, building community. This is an initiative that churches could easily help set up and get their members and the local neighbourhood involved in. For more information and ideas, check out the links below:
Here are some useful guidelines and tips on how to set up one:
Get involved in Food Rescue and the Zero Food Waste Challenge!
Aotearoa Food Rescue Alliance - Food rescue organisations prevent food from being wasted by collecting and redistributing food to people in need. Their work is targeting two challenging problems:
Food waste: A third of the food produced globally is wasted from farm to fork. In Aotearoa, the average New Zealand household spends over $650 on wasted food each year.
Food insecurity: One in nine people globally are undernourished. In New Zealand, one in five children face food insecurity.
Zero Food Waste Challenge - The International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste takes place in September each year. The Zero Food Waste Challenge will be coming to a classroom, staffroom, boardroom and kitchen near you in 2022.
Videos
Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story (74-minutes documentary film) - We all love food. As a society, we devour countless cooking shows, culinary magazines and foodie blogs. So how could we possibly be throwing nearly 50% of it in the trash?
For more information: https://foodwastemovie.com/
Indigenous Food Sovereignty - Hua Parakore was established in Aotearoa New Zealand by Te Waka Kai Ora, the National Māori Organics Authority. It provides a framework using indigenous values – Māori principles – for producing natural food without chemical inputs or GMO. To find out more, check out Happen Films’s video with Jessica Hutchings, one of the researchers who helped develop the framework. An extended interview is also available.
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