Your Food Sucks - Here’s Why That Matters

Food is more than just fuel for our bodies. At its core, food is the bridge between the nutrients in the soil and the nutrients we need to survive and thrive. Plants literally suck essential nutrients—like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium— out of the soil as they grow. These nutrients are passed along to us when we eat the food. This is one of the most beautiful and fundamental cycles in nature.

And here’s something to consider: All the food we eat ultimately comes from plants. Even the animals whose meat we consume get their nutrients from plants. At some point down the line, every bite of food can be traced back to the soil and the plants that pulled nutrients from it.

But what happens to the nutrients in food that didn’t get eaten? That’s where we are faced with a great choice, and an even greater opportunity.

The Problem With Landfills

When uneaten food or food scraps end up in a landfill, the nutrients they contain are trapped and wasted. Those nutrients, which were pulled from the soil to grow the food in the first place, never make it back. Instead of being returned to the earth to support new growth, they are buried in an environment where they decompose and produce harmful gases like methane. And once food waste enters a landfill, it’s essentially lost forever—we don’t have the means to recover those valuable nutrients.

This creates a vicious cycle: we keep removing nutrients from the soil without putting them back. Over time, this depletes the soil’s ability to grow healthy, nutrient-rich food. Without intervention, the land becomes less fertile, and farmers have to rely on other methods to make crops grow.

The Modern Farming Fix: Fertilizers

To replace the nutrients lost in the soil, modern farming relies heavily on synthetic fertilizers made from natural gas and oil. While these fertilizers can boost crop yields, they come with significant downsides:

1. Depletion of Natural Resources: Synthetic fertilizers are made using fossil fuels, consuming vast amounts of natural gas and oil. This puts additional pressure on already limited resources and contributes to higher gas prices and climate change. 

1. (Source: FAO’s report on fertilizer use and climate impact)

2. Lower Nutrient Density: Studies have shown that food grown using synthetic fertilizers often contains fewer vitamins and minerals per calorie. In other words, the food looks the same but is less nutritious, meaning you’d have to eat more to get the same level of nutrients your body needs.

1. (Source: “Declining Fruit and Vegetable Nutrient Composition” by Davis et al., Journal of the American College of Nutrition)

3. Soil Health Decline: Synthetic fertilizers can harm the long-term health of the soil. Sure, they add some nutrients back to the soil, but they don’t replenish organic matter. Organic matter is critical for soil structure, water retention, and microbial activity. Over time, the soil becomes less capable of sustaining healthy crops without ever-increasing amounts of synthetic inputs. 

1. (Source: Rodale Institute’s report on regenerative agriculture)

The Solution: Composting

Composting offers a natural and sustainable way to close the nutrient loop. When you compost your food scraps, you’re returning those vital nutrients back to the soil where they belong. Here’s how composting makes a difference:

1. Replenishes the Soil: Compost is packed with organic matter and nutrients that plants need to grow. By adding compost to the soil, we enrich it with everything from nitrogen to micronutrients like zinc and magnesium. 

1. (Source: “The Science of Composting” by Cornell Waste Management Institute)

2. Boosts Soil Health: Compost doesn’t just feed plants; it feeds the soil itself. It improves soil structure, enhances water retention, and supports the microbial life that makes soil fertile and resilient. 

1. (Source: Environmental Protection Agency’s guide to composting)

3. Reduces Dependency on Synthetic Fertilizers: By providing a natural source of nutrients, composting helps reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers. This lessens our reliance on fossil fuels and minimizes the environmental impacts of farming. 

1. (Source: “Composting 101” by NRDC)

4. Creates Nutrient-Dense Food: Healthy soil produces healthier plants. When the soil is rich in nutrients, the food grown in it tends to have a higher nutrient density, meaning more vitamins and minerals per calorie. This makes composting an investment in not just the environment but also public health.

1.  (Source: Rodale Institute’s “Our Healing Begins in the Soil”)

Composting: A Simple Step Toward a Sustainable Food System

By composting, you’re helping to break the waste cycle and start a nutrient cycle instead. You’re turning nutrients that would have been trapped and wasted into an accessible resource that supports local farmers, healthier soils, and better food for everyone.

Together, we can build a community where real food thrives. By composting your scraps, you’re not just reducing waste—you’re helping local farmers grow nutritious, delicious, real food that feeds our community.

It’s simple: you do the eating, we do the composting, and together, we create something extraordinary.