From the use of petroleum-based fertilizer and pesticides to the effects of soil degradation, water pollution, climate change, and the obesity epidemic — to name just a few — our current food system has a significant number of hidden costs to the natural environment and human health. These costs are in addition to normal production costs, and together they make up "the true cost of food." The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that the hidden annual environmental cost of world food production totals USD 2.1 trillion. The hidden social costs are estimated to be even higher, at USD 2.7 trillion.
