New Fuel To Fork Study Shows Oil & Gas Industry is the Supply Chain
Despite major advancements in environmental innovations and reliability, lobbyists, NGOs and public-private partnerships continue to discriminate against the oil and gas industry as a whole.
As someone who’s spent years covering the oil and gas industry, I’ve often said: energy is the unseen ingredient in almost everything we consume. The recent “Fuel to Fork” study by IPES-Food (June 2025) puts a spotlight on something we in the industry have long understood, but few in the general public have fully appreciated — fossil fuels aren’t just part of the food supply chain; they are the food supply chain.
From fertilizer to plastic packaging, diesel-powered harvesters to gas-fueled processing plants, the food on your plate has traveled a long road — most of it paved with hydrocarbons. In fact, the study estimates that 15% of global fossil fuel consumption is directly linked to food systems. As a professional in this space, that’s both a validation of our critical role and a wake-up call about where we might be headed next.
Fossil Fuels: The Arteries of Global Agriculture
Let’s start on the farm, where oil and gas are most directly involved. Fertilizers — specifically synthetic nitrogen-based ones — are largely produced using natural gas and coal. According to the study, 99% of all synthetic nitrogen fertilizers are derived from fossil fuels. These fertilizers account for one-third of all petrochemical consumption globally, making them the single largest fossil-dependent input in agriculture.
Tractors, irrigation pumps, and harvesters run on diesel. Grain dryers often use propane. Even when you’re looking at something as mundane as plastic mulch in a field, you’re looking at a petroleum product. The report notes that 3.5% of global plastic production goes to agriculture, and 10% of all plastics are used in food and drink packaging.
The energy intensity of farming isn’t uniform either. Crops like corn and rice, which dominate the global commodity markets, are especially input-heavy. That means more fuel, more fertilizer, more carbon.
Midstream: Processing and Packaging
The real surprise for many may come in what the study calls “the middle of the chain.” That’s food processing and packaging — and it’s where 42% of fossil fuel consumption in the food system occurs. Why? Because breaking down raw materials into processed foods takes energy — a lot of it.
Ultra-processed foods, increasingly common in both developing and developed markets, are the worst offenders. Think soda, chips, breakfast bars — most of these are derived from commodity crops grown with petrochemical fertilizers and are then processed using fossil fuel-powered machinery. That’s followed by plastic wrapping, much of which is derived from oil and gas.
And as the world shifts toward electrifying cars and decarbonizing industry, petrochemical companies are looking at food packaging as a growth market. The report highlights that fossil fuel companies are actively expanding into plastics and agrochemicals as traditional fuel demand stagnates due to decarbonization.
Downstream: Transport, Retail, and Kitchens
Transport has long been in the spotlight for its carbon footprint. But in food systems, transportation actually makes up a smaller portion of the fossil fuel use than fertilizers and processing. That’s not to say it’s negligible — cold chains (refrigerated trucks, shipping containers, and grocery stores) are extremely energy-intensive.
At the consumer level, cooking and refrigeration also rely heavily on fossil fuels. The study notes a rise in electricity use, but much of that electricity still comes from gas or coal, especially in emerging economies. Switching home kitchens and cold chains to renewables is an ongoing challenge, and one that we in the energy industry are watching closely.
False Solutions? Or Transition Pathways?
One of the report’s more controversial points is its critique of “techno-fixes.” From our side of the industry, we often tout innovations like:
Blue ammonia (fertilizer made with captured carbon emissions),
Green ammonia (produced via renewables),
Digital precision agriculture (using AI and sensors to reduce fertilizer use),
And bioplastics as substitutes for petroleum-based packaging.
Yet, the authors argue many of these are not transformative. They are expensive, hard to scale, and may prolong reliance on fossil fuels by dressing up old practices in new tech. For example, less than 1% of global ammonia production is green or blue — 99% still comes from fossil fuels.
Moreover, “green” solutions like digital agriculture come with hidden energy costs. Cloud computing and AI require enormous amounts of electricity, much of which is still fossil-powered. As data centers expand, so too does the fossil fuel demand — often to run the very systems designed to make farming more sustainable.
Market Vulnerability and Volatility
Perhaps the most sobering finding is that our food system is dangerously exposed to fossil fuel price shocks. We’ve seen it firsthand. When oil prices spike, fertilizer costs follow, and then food prices rise. This was painfully evident after the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine conflict. The report correlates spikes in fossil fuel prices with surges in global food insecurity — a situation that disproportionately affects developing nations.
What’s more, fossil-dependent food systems are vulnerable to geopolitical manipulation. Natural gas supply disruptions or fertilizer export bans by major producers like Russia or China can ripple across global food markets.
The Industry’s Crossroads
As someone who has been embedded into the oil and gas industry for over a decade, I believe the industry is at a historic fork in the road. On one prong, the industry is foundational to global food security. On another prong, the push for decarbonization means that even this sector — our quiet, downstream, less-visible role in food — is under scrutiny. A third prong of challenges the industry is facing is that anyone trying to help the industry, the families and communities are often demonized just for existing or creating non-polarizing awareness.
But the reality is that some non-profits, leaders and employees are funded solely to agitate honest people while creating trigger narratives and false frames against the oil and gas industry. Furthermore, billions in tax dollars have gone to groups and people who use rank discrimination and unethical practices towards the humanity that exists within in industry.
What’s clear is that demand won’t disappear overnight. Emerging economies are still scaling up food production, often using conventional methods. But innovation must be matched with realism. Fully removing fossil fuels from food systems would require:
A massive investment in renewable infrastructure for both farms and processing plants,
A shift toward agroecology and local food systems (which currently lack financial viability at scale),
Policy reforms that challenge the current subsidy structure, where $2 trillion annually props up fossil fuels, and $540 billion supports commodity-based industrial agriculture.
Final Thoughts
The Fuel to Fork report is really more of a challenge — and maybe a call to action. It paints a picture of a deeply integrated energy-food ecosystem and argues that any meaningful fight against climate change must include the food sector.
For oil and gas, that presents both a threat and an opportunity. We can be part of the problem — or we can be central to the solution, driving innovation in cleaner fuels, greener fertilizers, and smarter processing systems.
What the report may not fully acknowledge — but what the industry understands — is that no food system transformation happens without energy. Whether that energy comes from oil, gas, sun, or wind, our job is to ensure it flows efficiently, affordably, and responsibly.
And if we’re honest with ourselves, the fork still leads back to fuel — at least for now. The challenge is making sure that journey gets cleaner, safer, and more sustainable each year. Not increasing the insults, discrimination and dismissal of energy innovations because it doesn’t fit a political narrative.
Food is fuel, fuel is energy and all energy has a purpose. Especially the oil and gas industry.
Jason Spiess is an multi-award-winning journalist, entrepreneur, producer and content consultant. Spiess, who began working in the media at age 10, has over 35 years of media experience in broadcasting, journalism, reporting and principal ownership in media companies. Spiess is currently the host of several newsmagazine programs that air across a 22 radio stations and podcasts worldwide through podcast platforms, as well as a social media audience of over 400K followers.
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