Embodied Energy:

Reducing Embodied Energy in Metro Manila’s

Food

Edited by

Raila Czarina F. Velasco

Berea Arts and Sciences High School

2022
Table of Contents
Embodied Energy 3
Ways of Cutting the Embodied Energy of food in Metro Manila 4
Advocacy, Parallel with Efficacy 5
Embodied Energy in Mass Production 6
Food & Energy 7
Food Waste 8
What does the world do? 9
Works Cited 10
Embodied Energy
Raila Czarina F. Velasco

Embodied energy is used to produce, transport, and process food. As you go down that path,
everything starts to collect energy on that material to get it to where it is and by the time you're
holding it, there's a tremendous amount of effort that went into that food. The embodied energy
used to produce, transport, and process food is wasted through food loss and waste.
An example of a way that we can do to reduce or cut embodied energy of our food is to
patronize our local farmers’ markets and buy local. It is helpful in terms of the reduction of
energy. It has been estimated that Filipinos waste up to 308,000 tons of rice every year. In Metro
Manila, 2,175 tons of food end up in trash bins daily. A great part of this problem lies in the
traditional consumption and production processes which have already been established in our
economy, thus we should be doing sustainable consumption and production, and avoid
producing food waste.
Ways of Cutting the Embodied
Energy of food in Metro Manila
Ashley Ryza B. Olivenza

Embodied energy of food is the energy used to create the final product of the food. It includes all
of the energy used in the manufacture, shipping, and sale of the product. To lessen our
embodied energy in Metro Manila’s food, we can start by changing our ways of consuming food.
Next, consumers should also analyze the details of the packaging so we can see what they
used to make the product so that we can carefully choose the products we buy to cut embodied
energy. The producers should also develop a proper production process to save energy of the
product production. By developing and planning the production process, we can lessen the
mistakes that the process may have and it will use much less energy.  We can also find and use
alternative energy that can reduce the embodied energy of food.
Advocacy, Parallel with Efficacy
John Adrian D. Valderama

The findings of the study synthesized here include efficient alternatives to food production that
reduces the overall embodied energy. Based on the research, locally-produced vegan
alternatives might be the most efficient food product for consumption. Meat and Dairy are the
factors we're looking at right here, and the vegan lifestyle eliminates the use of these. Being
locally-produced, these foods need not to be air-freighted, therefore reducing significantly the
transportation emissions. This, however, is not to be forcefully implemented, as each individual
is entitled to their choice of foods.
Embodied Energy in Mass
Production
Josch V. Obra

Certain officials, professionals, and scientists have discussed the use of energy in mass
productions, necessities such as food, drinks, and other similar productions that do not just
concern food but also structure, metal, and other such productions. This is referred to as
Embodied Energy. Embodied Energy is a calculation of the total energy accumulated in order to
produce a specific output. Production of necessities such as foods and beverages, productions
in industries such as construction materials, productions for people that are necessary to have
in everyday life, and even simple productions cost a small amount of energy to produce.
The amount of embodied energy accumulated may differ from the amount of energy
accumulated for a specific production. While some of the benefits to a country that uses
embodied energy to form productions are considered positive, this is also considered negative
in some aspects of energy use and consumption. Consuming or rather having accumulated
more than enough energy to produce can have negative consequences, particularly for
consumable products and other hazardous-like products if they are produced.
In this case, embodied energy production of necessities from foods is one example that
provides a good and bad benefit of the energy consumption just to produce such products. As to
how food is presented in recent years ranging from years below 2013 and above 2013, we can
observe that foods from before were actually still safe to eat although having little but not an
unexisting amount of chemicals in it. However, the foods from before actually now start having
extra chemicals in it that makes it unhealthy. This is one of the reasons why certain necessities
are banned like pancit canton in certain european countries and even in the Philippines as it is
reported to have ethylene oxide in them.
From the observation of embodied energy, there is little to no way we can fully cut the embodied
energy especially in suburban or overpopulated areas. (Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino, 2022)
However, food processes such as food security wherein fresh foods planted from farms are
maintained and focused is a way closer to cutting embodied energy of food. A place in the
Philippines where necessities such as food with little to gradual energy is accumulated would be
in Metro Manila. This is because of the overpopulation that we need to mass produce certain
foods as such that having food security to sort out this much of population would only somehow
lessen it but nevertheless cut it from the mass production using embodied energy.
Food & Energy
Jullian Miguel C. Reyes

In cutting the embodied energy of food, we can have a food system to solve this problem. There
was research by scientists to feed Metro Manila. The research was about the science-based
diet or the planetary Health Diet (PHD). In PHD, it says that we should eat more fruits,
vegetables, grain foods, fish and starchy foods and reduce the consumption of carbohydrates.

Also in Metro Manila, the two cities were having a project to improving the sustainable
consumption and production of energy in Pasig and Parañaque. The project was imposing the
Philippine Green Building Code and Conservation Law across the cities. They are informing all
the residents, businesses, and local governments across the Philippines about the energy
efficiency and conservation.

For me, it will be possible to cut the embodied energy of food in Manila if we can eat properly
and not waste our food. Especially in the food industry, there had been a lot of food wastage
because they didn’t finish their food. Having a diet can help and improve our daily lifestyles
because it gives the right amount of energy that we will need every day.
Food Waste
Lordfred C. Villaflor

Embodied energy is defined as the amount of energy that is used to produce a material or
product. Embodied energy could estimate the sustainability of materials that typically refers to
nonrenewable sources such as raw materials that are used in some factories. A substance with
less embodied energy will be locally sourced and minimally processed. But the question is, how
can Metro Manila cut the embodied energy of its food?

Food is an example of a renewable resource, which means it could be produced naturally as

time goes by. Since we cannot totally ‘cut’ the embodied energy of a certain product, we must
adapt to the world where we live right now. Factories and manufacturing industries are sectors
that consequently consume large quantities of natural resources and could be the source of
environmental impacts. Potential causes of Embodied Energy on foods could be avoided by
reducing manufacturing food waste produced production. Greater amount of food waste can
cause animals in the food chain to vanish since humans mostly consume meat from animals
and could cause an imbalance in the ecosystem.
What does the world do?
Yuan Iñigo R. Pulido

We are currently incapable (or more accurately – apathetic) about the issue of Embodied
Energy in Food, most specifically in our metropolitan areas. Although it may seem that this has
little to no effect on the food supply or even life overall – this cannot be farther from the truth.
Such statistics are hard to understand, however we must understand that these issues do exist.
In lieu of these issues, we can look towards the rest of the world and look upon their research
and methods to come up with an answer of our own. Mr. Vittuari, Mr. De Menna, and Mr. Pagani
of University of Bologna (Italy) and Mr. Johnson of University of Missouri (USA) had devised 2
ways this can be done - lowering losses along the chain, or by decreasing the energy intensity
of the processes. As for specifically how, decreasing the energy intensity of the processes isn’t
exactly simple – the process of which was described by Mr. Rahimifard and Mr. Sheppard in the
146th Volume of their Journal, “Resources, Conservation & Recycling”. Another method is via
modifying the public’s diet – thus changing the amount of embodied energy on the consumer’s
end.
By using these international methods and using them in Metro Manila, it may be possible to
reduce the embodied waste of food. However, keep in mind that although we can take
inspiration from other peoples and places – they may not be completely applicable due to the
differing and significantly worse circumstances we are in.
Works Cited
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Galvez, E. (2021, May 16). Scientists propose science-based diet to feed Metro Manila by 2050.
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