Eating Habits and Sustainability of the Food Systems

• Published in: Annals of nutrition and metabolism 2020-01, Vol.76, p.93
• Main Authors: Moñino, Manuel, Salter, Andrew, Quetel, Anna-Karin, de Teran, Tanja Draeger, Spiker, Marie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aging; Agricultural aircraft; Agricultural commodities; Agricultural land; Arable land; Climate change; Consumption patterns; Diet; Dietetics; Eating behavior; Environmental aspects; Environmental effects; Environmental impact; Environmental objective; Farming systems; Food; Food chains; Food consumption; Food production; Food quality; Food security; Food supply; Food waste; Habits; Life expectancy; Life span; Livestock; Livestock industry; Livestock production; Meat; Nutrition; Nuts; Population growth; Power consumption; Processed foods; Proteins; Supply chains; Sustainability; Sustainable development; Sustainable food systems; Sustainable use
• ISSN: 0250-6807; 1421-9697
• DOI: 10.1159/000505528

Background/Aims: Our current dietary patterns and their impacts on the environment and climate are increasingly becoming a focus of global concern. Changes in our dietary habits offer significant leverage improving the sustainability of the food system and mitigating global threats such as climate change, which is reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Methods: In this conference session, four presentations about different aspects of sustainability of the food systems were given. Results: The high rate of population growth, increased life expectancy and improved economic performance in much of the developing world, will increase global demand for nutritious foods, including high quality protein resources [1]. However, current agricultural systems are unlikely to be able to meet the requirements of the global population, without major effects on the environment [2]. Besides, by 2050 only about 2,000 m² of arable area will be available for each person on this planet to produce agricultural commodities, and today around 70% of the agricultural land is directly or indirectly devoted to livestock production [3]. Thus, to meet increased global demands there is an urgent need for agricultural, nutritional and food scientists to work together to decrease the reliance of the livestock industry on human-edible crops and to develop sustainable food systems capable of producing alternative sources of high quality protein, acceptable for the a growing, and aging, population. Despite the substantial and growing evidence confirming that sustainable food systems can be a lever to achieve many of the SDG, only 2 European countries have so far included sustainability in their Food Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG): Sweden and Germany. However, most FBDGs provide advice aligned with sustainability such as promoting fruits and vegetables, whole grains and nuts and reducing consumption of meat and ultraprocessed food [4]. The Swedish FBDG was among the first in the world to take environmental aspects of food production and consumption into account [5]. The recommendations were developed on the basis of both nutritional science [6] and scientific knowledge of the environmental aspects of the food system [7], related to the Swedish environmental objectives. Some European studies [8] show the impact of consumption patterns on the environment and climate, and on the other hand, the significant potential to reduce the impacts of dietary habits. It is important to note