John Blazevich is a retired CEO and president of Contessa Premium Foods with over 35 years in the food production business. Additionally, John Blazevich played a crucial role in designing and constructing Contenssa’s Green Cusuine Plant. The operation reduced daily energy and CO2 emissions by 65 percent.
By implementing sustainable and innovative technologies, the food production industry can achieve carbon neutrality and contribute to a greener future using these practices:
1. Waste management and reduction - Minimizing food waste at every stage by implementing efficient harvesting, storage, and transportation can help reduce the carbon footprint and waste.
2. Precision agriculture - Utilizing advanced technologies such as drones, sensors, and data analytics will help farmers optimize resource use and minimize pesticides and fertilizers contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.
3. Carbon capture and storage - Developing and implementing carbon capture and storage technologies can help offset emissions from food production. These technologies capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or directly from industrial processes and store it underground or convert it into valuable products.
4. Energy efficiency- Upgrading buildings are also better equipped to switch to renewable energy, which does not produce harmful can further enhance efficiency and lead to significant energy savings and reduced carbon emissions.
5. Sustainable agricultural practices- Using regenerative farm techniques such as cover cropping, no-till farming, and crop rotation can help remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the soil, known as soil carbon sequestration.
6. Alternative refrigeration and cooling systems - Transitioning to low-carbon alternatives such as ammonia can significantly reduce emissions in food production, as traditional cooling often relies on potent greenhouse gasses.
7. Sustainable packaging - Reusable, recyclable, and biodegradable packaging materials are eco-friendly and reduce the carbon footprint in food production.
