I’ve been looking forward to this food writing technology conference for a year.  It occurs this weekend, September 28-30, 2017 in Sacramento, CA, the  “Farm to-Fork-Food Capital”.   I was happy to see that the makers of this convention are also thinking globally and showing us locally how one example of improved practices in and about the environment can impact humans and food production everywhere.  One of the most exciting presentations I’ve read about so far at the convention is  one about sustainable livestock agriculture.  UC Davis will show attendees their beef cattle feedlot and the science behind reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions measured through the GreenFeed System.  The presentation explains the current trial and how Mootral™, an all natural powdered feed supplement from garlic and citrus extracts, helps cows digest and reduce methane emissions by 30%.

Ten years of R&D went into Mootral™ before its final form, ready for commercialisation in 2017 with pilot programs around the world.  Dairy and meat products are looking forward to earning the Cow Credit label that signifies their efforts to reduce carbon emissions.  Livestock emissions are responsible for 15% of all global anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHGs).  If Mootral™ was fed to all cows on earth it would equate to 3 billion tons CO2e or 2.5% of current global emissions.  This is equivalent of taking at least 200 million cars off the road.  These facts about cows are significant.

There will be 2.5 billion cows by 2050, the same number projected for vehicles.
A cow pollutes more than an average car driven for a year.
One cow produces 2.4 tons of CO2 a year.
80% of of methane emitted by cows comes out of their mouths.
This methane is at least 21x more toxic than CO2.
Less than 10 grams of Mootral™ a day reduces emissions by at least 30%.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the global livestock industry is responsible for 15% of all GHGs, the world’s third largest contributor after energy and industry.  The realities of climate change and consumer preferences for responsible, sustainable products have sparked a paradigm shift in the food industry.  Food companies and farmers alike are rethinking the way food is produced and manufactured.

The use of natural plant flavonoids in Mootral™ suppresses the methanogenic bacteria in rumen fermentation while leaving bacteria that aids in digestion intact.  Zaluvida, the Mootral™ manufacturer, claims that widespread adoption of the supplement would be the equivalent of 500 million cars being taken off the road.