In a world where social media dictates trends and consumer actions, food trends fueled by influencers have emerged as a factor contributing to global environmental issues. Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram are popularizing content from extravagant mukbangs — directly translated to “eating shows” — to luxury grocery hauls. Although these videos are entertaining for millions of viewers, they can also contribute to a cycle of overconsumption and waste that leads to real-world problems.
One of the roots of overconsumption stems from social media turning food into a spectacle. When online creators purchase food with the intention of “binging” on massive quantities for views, it often leads to ample food waste while simultaneously encouraging viewers to participate in similar actions.
Many social media users, including senior Emma Yang, have experienced videos that promote consumption culture firsthand.
“There’s a mukbang culture going on right now where you just eat a ton of junk food, and it’s pretty unrealistic,” Yang said “It definitely doesn’t make it enjoyable to watch. It’s also influencing a lot of people to purchase mass amounts of food that they’re not going to be able to finish in one sitting.”
Due to the accessibility of social media, some influencers focus on making money rather than what is really healthy for their bodies and the environment, as well as the effect their actions have.
“Using mass eating clickbait gets more views,” Yang said. “They’re making more money and could be influencing other content creators to slowly hop on the trend.”
The economic opportunities that social media presents can lead influencers to promote certain products, even when the quality may be overstated.
“There’s a big controversy going around right now with the supplement Bloom,” Yang said. “With their superfood supplement, we have a ton of young influencers— people in their mid-20s, people in their mid-30s— swearing by this product. But I’ve tried it, and it totally didn’t work for me.”
Senior Aria Shah believes that just as influencers may promote products such as Bloom, trendy, upscale grocery stores such as Erewhon, which are also recommended by influencers, are key promoters in encouraging excessive waste.
“Right now there is a trend where people are buying a single strawberry for 19 dollars, and it’s definitely a scam,” Shah said. “Each is packaged in a plastic container, and it has definitely contributed to plastic waste.”
While some social media influencers may primarily be focused on economic gain, they also have the power to encourage positive change by guiding their audiences toward making more sustainable choices.
“I follow Nara Smith because I love how she makes everything from scratch,” Shah said. “It shows that you don’t need to buy all the processed food to make food that you enjoy at home.”
Choosing to take the environmentally friendly option of making food at home often means buying produce from grocery stores. Yet, economics teacher Grant Blackburn believes that grocery stores have a major effect on waste, both for their customers as well as for the environment as a whole.
“From a business perspective, grocery stores don’t care about food waste,” Blackburn said. “If anything, they benefit from it — they want you to buy as much as possible, throw it away and come right back to restock. But on a larger scale, food waste creates greenhouse gases and drives up demand, which raises food prices. That, in turn, hurts lower-income communities the most.”
According to Brian Roe, a professor of farm management at Ohio State University, average food waste in a household can lead to large-scale negative impacts.
“Families will often spend an excess of 1500 dollars per year on food that is never eaten, while the production and discard of food that is not eaten generates substantial greenhouse gas emissions,” Roe said.
Roe believes that companies are also key to promoting sustainable purchases, as their choices can influence the amount and type of food customers have access to.
“Companies could avoid using buy-one-get-one-free offers for perishable foods, which tend to increase the odds of food going uneaten, and influencers can point to hacks and tips that permit people to save money by better managing and preparing their food,” Roe said.
Every product in the food supply — whether it’s a bag of chips, a piece of fruit or a rotisserie chicken — requires energy, water and labor resources to produce. The more waste there is, the higher the demand for these already limited resources. This exacerbates climate change, increases food insecurity and depletes essential natural resources. AP Environmental Science teacher Nicole Loomis believes food waste is a common and damaging phenomenon.
“If [wasted food] gets into landfills, it releases methane when it breaks down, and that is a powerful greenhouse gas,” Loomis said. “There are also the emissions associated with picking up food waste and bringing it to the waste facility.”
Apart from being influenced by social media and related sources, schools also can be an important source of information to advocate for food sustainability.
“I’m a big advocate for schools to teach more life skills if that makes sense,” Yang said. “So knowing how to budget your groceries, knowing what to do with leftover food. I [had] never thought to check my cabinets for food that could expire soon, [so] I could donate it to a food shelter or to a homeless shelter, places that are in dire need of food.”
There are many ways individuals can limit the amount of food that is wasted in their household, most of which are minor lifestyle changes.
“Shop your fridge first to ensure you don’t buy excess goods,” Roe said. “Love your leftovers. Find [food] prep tips so you use up items in your fridge before they go bad. Learn to store produce items the right way so they have longer shelf lives.”
Although making specific changes can be challenging, there are a variety of ways people can tweak their actions to make a positive impact.
“We all need to eat, so eating locally grown, organic foods that are in season is the best way to reduce the environmental footprint of food consumption,” Loomis said. “From a climate change and water use perspective, eating less meat is also a good way to reduce the environmental footprint of food.”
Awareness can also motivate people to make more environmentally friendly choices.
“Tracking food waste at the municipal or home levels can stimulate people to reduce waste,” Roe said. “Certainly [awareness] can affect their decision making, but it might not necessarily help the food waste problem, because you have to change their habits “
Ultimately, the ripple effects of overconsumption extend far beyond a 10-second video. By recognizing the influence of social media and the benefits of making conscious choices, individuals can reduce waste and contribute to a more sustainable future.
“The way we perceive food affects how we consume it, which affects waste, which affects prices,” Blackburn said. “It’s all interconnected.”
