Health and Sustainability of Food Systems in Toronto City Essay

Health and Sustainability of Food Systems in Toronto City - Essay Example Farm inputs used in food production should not contaminate food products with such potentially harmful contents. In this regard, the World Commission on Environment and Development defined sustainable food production processes as those that meet the present consumers’ needs without compromising the ability to meet the nutritional needs of future generations. In this context, food production processes that use harmful pesticides and fertilizers to alter the soil’s natural composition are neither sustainable nor healthy for food systems. However, production processes that utilize environmentally friendly farm inputs not only foster environmental protection but also improve the nutritional soundness of food products in the market. As identified in class, common vulnerabilities in farm inputs sector including but not limited to: use of chemicals, high energy costs and swift evolution of farm machinery. Food production is a business, and farmers expect to earn profits from t heir farm produces. In food production, profit margins are determined by three distinct factors: the cost of production, amount of yield, and market prices of harvested produces. Occasionally, amount of farm yields increase with increased use of inputs like pesticides, while heavy use of pesticides translates to the increased cost of production. In food production, cost of chemicals like pesticides is of a particular concern to farmers. Farm chemicals are expensive; it requires approximately $50-100 million to develop a new inorganic pesticide.