Food Industry Energy Consumption Runs Rampant

Food-related energy consumption in the United States is growing, explains USA Today with some alarming statistics.

From 2002 through 2007, food-related energy use grew nearly eight percent and between 1997 and 2002, over 80 percent of the increase in annual U.S. energy consumption was food related. As of 2007, food energy consumption accounts for about 16 percent of the nation's total energy budget.

There are several causes of this increase, including population growth, an increased reliance on the global food market and using energy-intensive technologies rather than manual labor (think using a food processor instead of chopping by hand).

Though there are many ways to reduce food energy consumption, one step in the direction is using more energy-efficient commercial fryers. TechCrunch reports on the EPA's new EnergyStar ratings. The EPA claims, "If every large vat fryer in the [country] met the new Energy Star requirements, energy cost savings would increase approximately $81 million per year and reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the emissions from nearly 95,000 cars."

Until then, makes you think twice about ordering French fries.