BUILDING A BETTER FOOD FUTURE
Although food systems have the potential to nurture human health and support environmental sustainability, the way we produce and consume food is currently threatening both.
According to Paul Newnham, director of the SDG 2 Advocacy Hub, an initiative which coordinates global campaigning and advocacy to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 (Zero Hunger), ‘There’re a number of factors that impact the food we eat. One is on us, our body – what we eat can make us well or cause disease. It also has an impact on the broader community and the ecosystem while at the global level, agriculture and food systems can impact climate change, biodiversity, pollution and other issues.’
Diet and food production must therefore undergo a radical change to improve human health and avoid massive damage to the planet. ‘With the global population expected to reach 10 billion people by 2050, a transformation of the global food system is required to set us on a sustainable path,’ he says. ‘A new scientific report prepared by the EAT Foundation and Lancet Commission says this is possible and it has laid out strategic guidelines to achieve the aim of a diet that is both nutritious and healthy and which will be sustainable for the planet in 2050.’
The study, undertaken by 37 experts from various disciplines across 16 countries promotes diets consisting of a variety of plant-based foods, with smaller amounts of meat-based foods, refined grains, highly processed foods, and added sugars, and with unsaturated rather than saturated fats.
The problem we face globally, he adds, is that we are eating too much meat and too much starchy vegetables. ‘North American residents eat almost 6.5 times the recommended amount of red meat, compared to just half in countries in South Asia. In Sub Saharan Africa, there is an unusually high intake of starchy vegetables. The challenge is to get people in North America to eat less meat and encourage those in South Asia to eat more.’
What is interesting about this global report, he adds, ‘Every country’s needs are different; if we attempt to treat everyone the same, it will not work. It has to be adapted to each country’s circumstances and needs.’
To support biodiversity in the food system, it is important to eat a diverse diet with more of whole grains and vegetables and smaller quantities of animal-based proteins, he says. ‘People make their decisions about what they eat chiefly based on taste, cost and convenience. A sustainable food choice helps farmers, the planet and the person eating it. If the food you eat is detrimental to any of these, it is not sustainable.’
The backlash against plastic has been driving behaviour changes in food more than nutrition and health itself. ‘Films showcasing the detrimental effects of plastic, especially on marine life, has caused people to rethink what they buy. [But] I still believe that we need to think more about the food that is wrapped in the plastic.’
Food wastage is also impacting our environment. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, roughly one-third of the food produced in the world every year – approximately 1.3 billion tonnes – gets lost or wasted. While this happens across every level of the food production and distribution process, at the consumer level, especially in high-income countries, the fact that food is cheap is leading to massive wastage. Reducing portion sizes or raising prices could make consumers more careful.
Food waste can also be limited by avoiding overeating and making full use of leftovers, he adds.