Which factor is cited as a key negative impact of processing on resource use?

Which factor is cited as a key negative impact of processing on resource use?

• A. Nutrient losses and high use of water, energy, fuel, and transportation
• B. Decreased energy use
• C. Less water use than in farming
• D. Lower transportation needs

Answer: (A)

Processing adds to resource use because it often causes nutrient losses while demanding substantial inputs like water, energy, fuel, and transportation at multiple steps such as washing, heating, drying, packaging, and moving products through the supply chain. This means the overall resource footprint increases even though the goal is to create shelf-stable or ready-to-use products. The other ideas describe decreases or lower requirements, which doesn’t align with how processing typically operates—energy use usually rises, water use for cleaning and processing can be significant, and extra transportation is usually needed to get ingredients to processing sites and finished goods to markets.

Processing adds to resource use because it often causes nutrient losses while demanding substantial inputs like water, energy, fuel, and transportation at multiple steps such as washing, heating, drying, packaging, and moving products through the supply chain. This means the overall resource footprint increases even though the goal is to create shelf-stable or ready-to-use products. The other ideas describe decreases or lower requirements, which doesn’t align with how processing typically operates—energy use usually rises, water use for cleaning and processing can be significant, and extra transportation is usually needed to get ingredients to processing sites and finished goods to markets.