Sustainability is a multifaceted issue where the food production system and our diets play a crucial role. "Sustainability" can be hard to define as it can mean different things based on the context in which it's discussed. However, the concept is much more than a trending buzzword. It encompasses the environment, economics, health, nutrition, and other related dimensions. Sustainable diets are those with low environmental impacts that contribute to food and nutrition security and to a healthy life for present and future generations. Sustainability means the enactment of practices that fulfill the needs of society while protecting the physical basis of our long-term survival, our environment.
Today, more than three billion people are malnourished, and many of our planet’s inhabitants eat diets low in quality. At the same time, the world’s population is rapidly expanding, and it is estimated there will be close to 10 billion people on our planet by 2050. Thinking about a successful food future must focus on the earth system as a whole, rather than local levels. The “Anthropocene” is a term used to describe the current geological epoch, a time period defined by humanity being the dominating driver of change in atmospheric, geologic, hydrologic, biospheric, and other earth systems. In other words, humanity’s influence is at its greatest point in the history of our planet.
In terms of anthropogenic activities, agriculture is the largest cause of global environmental change. Such global environmental change increases the risk of irreversible and catastrophic shifts in the Earth system marked by rising human mortality, morbidity, conflict, and food insecurity. Agriculture in its current form is simultaneously a driver of global environmental change and a victim of shifting environmental conditions. Without action, the world risks failing to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. Simply put: global food systems are not sustainable.
Despite substantial scientific evidence linking diets with human health and environmental sustainability, historically, there’s been a lack of globally-agreed upon targets for healthy diets and sustainable food production. However, in 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission assessed existing evidence and developed global scientific targets that define a “safe operating space” for food systems.
Understanding Sustainable Diets
A healthy and sustainable diet is a prerequisite for population and planetary health. It is a diet that promotes optimal human growth and development, prevents malnutrition in all its forms, and has a low environmental impact to protect food and nutrition security for present and future generations.
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Key Components of Sustainable Diets
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a sustainable diet aims to achieve and maintain the physical, mental, and social health and well-being of populations at all life stages, while protecting and safeguarding the resources of the planet and preserving biodiversity.
The EAT-Lancet Commission and the Planetary Health Diet
In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission developed global scientific targets that define a “safe operating space” for food systems. This included defining a “planetary health diet” with consumption ranges for each food group. This is not a specific diet but rather a flexible dietary pattern that largely consists of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and unsaturated oils; includes a low to moderate amount of seafood and poultry; and includes no or a low quantity of red meat, processed meat, added sugar, refined grains, and starchy vegetables.
Transitioning to a sustainable food system that can deliver healthy diets for an estimated 10 billion people by 2050 is an unprecedented challenge. Fortunately, their analysis found this transition would be doable through a combination of substantial dietary shifts toward mostly plant-based dietary patterns, dramatic reductions in food losses and waste, and major improvements in food production practices. Of course, such a “Great Food Transformation” will not happen without widespread, multi-sector, multi-level action guided by scientific targets.
Transitioning to a planetary health diet will require global consumption of foods such as red meat and sugar to decrease by 50%, while consumption of fruits, nuts, vegetables, and legumes must double.
The Fundamentals of a Healthy and Sustainable Diet
The scientific rationale underpinning what is a healthy and sustainable diet is universal. Everyone shares a physiological need for energy and adequate amounts, types, and combinations of nutrients. People source their energy and nutrient needs from foods that are themselves sourced from food systems. The physiological need and food systems’ sustainability have been shaped through evolutionary and ecological processes, respectively. This physiological need can be met, and food systems’ sustainability protected, by following three interlinked dietary principles:
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Variety
To help achieve a nutritionally adequate diet and help protect the biodiversity of food systems. Dietary variety refers to eating a variety of nutritious foods every day. Apart from breast milk in the first six months of life, no single food can supply an appropriate balance of all the nutrients necessary for health. Foods with similar characteristic nutrients and nutrient profiles can be grouped into distinct food groups based on their type and nutrient composition. A nutritionally adequate diet can best be achieved by selecting foods from both across and within the core food groups while prioritizing minimally processed foods. These foods should be consumed in amounts recommended in dietary guidelines.
From a sustainability perspective, consuming a variety of foods helps to protect the biodiversity of food systems by promoting the production of a wide range of genetically diverse food crops and species. Food crop and species biodiversity helps increase the resilience of food production to threats from pests and diseases in agroecosystems. This biodiversity may also help contribute to higher and more stable yields as well as lower land clearing and use of harmful agrochemicals.
Balance
To help reduce the risk of diet-related non-communicable diseases and excessive use of finite environmental resources and production of greenhouse gas emissions. Dietary balance refers to the relative dietary proportions of the different food groups from which foods are selected. Dietary imbalances arise when the total amount of foods from one or more food groups is consumed in excessive or inadequate amounts relative to the total amount of foods consumed from other food groups. In many high-income countries, it is reported there is too low an intake of nutritious plant-source foods relative to animal-source foods.
From a sustainability perspective, consuming an excessive amount of animal-source foods relative to nutritious plant-source foods can have significant adverse impacts in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, land use and degradation, water use and pollution linked to nutrient-rich fertilizers, and other environmental indicators. Consuming an excessive amount of UPFs relative to minimally processed nutritious foods is associated with biodiversity loss and soil degradation, excessive use of finite environmental resources such as water and food packaging waste, especially plastics.
Moderation
To help achieve a healthy body weight and avoid wasting finite environmental resources used in providing food surplus to nutritional requirements Dietary moderation refers to consuming enough food to provide for but not exceed the body’s energy needs. It is essential for optimal growth and development (until physical maturity is reached), to maintain a healthy body weight and composition (post-maturity), and to allow for a level of physical activity consistent with long-term good health (all ages).
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From a sustainability perspective, consuming excessive amounts of food not only contributes to overweight and obesity, but also because it is surplus to meeting the nutritional needs of the consumer it is a waste of the finite environment.
Practical Tips for Sustainable Diet Changes
You don’t have to live off the grid or lobby Congress for green initiatives to care for the Earth. In fact, sustainable initiatives can start in a surprisingly simple place - on your plate. Sustainable eating can reduce your carbon footprint, spare precious resources, and support more ethical food systems. Plus, it can even save you money. Contrary to what you might believe about needing to purchase all organic ingredients, pricey vegan products, or only grass-fed meats, an environmentally friendly diet doesn’t have to drain your bank account.
Here are some actionable tips to help you transition to a more sustainable diet:
1. Embrace Local and Seasonal Eating
The local food movement is surging as people take an interest in supporting the local economy, getting to know farmers, and trying out regional foods. Food grown close to home requires less transportation to reach you, cutting down on emissions and fossil fuel use. In turn, this cuts down on costs. Plus, the more you invest in eating locally, the more you may find yourself exploring exciting new flavors and foods.
Foods harvested in season tend to be at their peak of ripeness and taste - and they’re sometimes even higher in nutrients. Seasonal foods also tend to be less expensive than those purchased out of season. From an environmental perspective, seasonal eating supports foods’ natural growing cycles.
2. Plan Your Meals
Meal planning can help you follow a healthier diet by putting you in control of exactly what you’re going to eat and letting you make intentional, nourishing food choices that align with your health goals. Creating a detailed list of what you need at the store keeps food spending on track, preventing impulse buys. Moreover, when you plan out your shopping, you don’t waste as much food.
3. Minimize Food Waste
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, one-third of food produced in the United States is never eaten, and wasted food is the single most common item in landfills. Since minimizing discarded food is an excellent way to take action for the planet, it’s best to keep - and eat - your leftovers rather than throw them out. Besides cutting back on food waste, eating leftovers prevents you from spending on takeout or new groceries you don’t really need.
If you’re not a leftover lover, try creative approaches like repurposing a bit of leftover meat as a pizza topping, tossing extra fruits and veggies into a salad, or adding extra pasta or rice to a soup.
4. Join a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program
Community-supported agriculture (CSA) allows farms to sell their excess in-season produce directly to their community. For a low fee, you can pick up a box - typically filled with a cornucopia of seasonal, local produce - at a specified drop-off point. CSAs reduce farms’ food waste by getting their fruits and vegetables directly into your hands without the need for transportation or preservation. Plus, they’re often competitively priced - some CSAs start at around $10 per box - and offer scrumptious fruits and veggies like turnips, chayote squash, and unique melon varieties.
5. Preserve Food at Home
If you’ve decided to join a CSA (or load up on seasonal foods in other ways), your next step will likely be figuring out how to keep your produce from going bad. Freezing, canning, and drying are all simple and accessible ways of preserving food at home. Freezing is the easiest method, and many foods freeze well (though it’s best to do your research before popping just any item into the freezer). Canning and drying take a little more effort but can help you keep food on hand for weeks or even months to come.
6. Shop in Bulk
The bulk aisle of your local grocery store doesn’t exist just for its colorful visual of Willy Wonka-style food dispensers. It’s also a treasure trove of savings and environmental benefits. Purchasing dry goods in bulk often cuts costs significantly, especially when it comes to more expensive items like nuts, dried fruits, or specialty flours. Plus, when you get the exact amount you need (rather than however much is in a package), you’re less likely to waste food. Shopping in bulk can cut down on plastic usage too. You can bring your own clean, reusable food-grade bags so you don’t have to use plastic bags every time.
7. Eat More Plant-Based Foods
Choosing more plant foods over animal foods may save you money, help the environment, and boost your health. That’s because animal products contribute to excess greenhouse gases, water usage, and land degradation. Plant-based proteins such as beans, lentils, and tofu often cost less than half as much as meats, ounce for ounce.
8. Grow Your Own Food
During World Wars I and II, the Victory Garden initiative encouraged people to grow their own food to reduce costs and relieve pressure on the industrial food system. These days, planting a garden can still bring these benefits. Depending on how much food you grow, the fruits of your labor may be able to supplement your meals at minimal cost. Meanwhile, food doesn’t get much more local (or seasonal) than when it’s grown in your own backyard. Unsurprisingly, one study found that home gardening may significantly reduce a household’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, if you compost food scraps for your garden, you’ll send less waste to the landfill.
9. Reduce Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods
Ultra-processed foods have undergone multiple industrial processes and usually contain lots of added flavors, sugars, fats, and chemical preservatives. Examples include cheese-flavored corn chips, snack bars, and artificially flavored cereals. Diets high in these foods are associated with numerous health conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, and certain cancers. Plus, ultra-processed foods harm the environment because their numerous ingredients mean that their overall carbon footprint is quite large. Therefore, it’s a good idea to replace them with nutritious whole foods whenever possible. Doing so might even save you money, since certain snacks, such apples or cheese, are often cheaper than a bag of chips or candy.
The Impact of Climate Change on Nutrition
Climate change can have economic consequences, affecting the nutritional intake of populations and increasing food insecurity, as it negatively affects diet quality parameters. One way to mitigate these consequences is to change the way we produce and consume our food.
Climate Change and Food Quality
Climate change impacts food quality parameters, including protein, micronutrients, and vitamin content, mainly in basic crops. For proteins in particular, the projected estimated reduction in some basic grains, such as rice and barley, can have an important impact on population health. Drought reduces the concentration of nutrients in plants such as legumes, cereals, and grasses. Increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere will affect plant growth and suppress Zn, Fe, and protein levels in staple crops.
Public Health Implications
Increases in atmospheric CO2 content induce significant reductions in the protein content of plants such as rice, potatoes, wheat, and barley. Therefore, populations that depend on these plants to meet their dietary protein goals are expected to experience a reduction in their protein intake, exceeding 5%. It has been estimated that by the year 2050, approximately 150 million people may be at risk of protein deficiency as a consequence of increased ambient CO2.
The Role of Food Production and Consumption
Distinct types of foods differ, not only in terms of their nutrient content, but also in the amount of land, water, energy, and GHGe required to produce them (ecological footprint). Today, the complex and global food production and distribution system is created to meet our ever-increasing nutritional needs, in terms of both quantity and taste. Nonetheless, for many scientists, the food sector is considered an important effector of environmental change. It has been estimated that 30% of the GHGe are food-derived, while 70% of the drinking water is used for food production globally. The extensive use of land for crops has altered natural ecosystems, leading to the extinction of several species.
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