There are foods so fashionable that you can find them in the supermarket every day of the year even if they are not in season. Blueberries, avocados, quinoa… are some of them. But this comfort for humans has the consequence of serious damage to the environment such as deforestation, the excessive consumption of water involved in its cultivation or the abuse of fertilizers.
We have become accustomed to seeing them on all menus in desserts, in smoothies, in salads. Açaí, this blueberry from Brazil, is just the latest trendy food at the origin of “there is a significant environmental impact”underlines to LaSexta the spokesperson for the Greenpeace Spain forest campaign, Miguel Ángel Soto.
Its production is gaining ground, but at the cost of deforestation in the Amazon. The same thing happens with soy, palm oil or cocoa in Africa. Previously it was planted sustainably in shady areas, among other trees, but now it is planted alone, in large areas with a useful life of only 40 years. Areas that “end up being abandoned” in search of “new areas to gradually eliminate trees until they are completely deforested,” explains Ainhoa Magrach, professor at Ikerbasque Research.
In the south of Spain, we see large plantations of lawyersmangoes, strawberries, blueberries… These are products that require very large quantities of water in the midst of a water crisis. The result: a Doñana Natural Park in critical condition. Beyond the drought, there is another worrying factor: “We use a lot more agrochemical products than before,” explains Magrach.
For example, to grow quinoa, one year of fallow was previously respected, but this is no longer the case today. Thus, the only alternative to maintain the rate of production is chemicalswhich deteriorates the quality of the land. “What we cannot do is force ecosystems to produce things and bring other ecosystems, other latitudes, products that are not in season,” warns Soto of Greenpeace Spain. Unfortunately, it is becoming more and more common to consume exotic fruits in Spain, but going against the rhythm of the planet has consequences.
