scholarly journals The role of seafood in sustainable diets

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Zachary Koehn ◽  
Edward Hugh Allison ◽  
Christopher D. Golden ◽  
Ray Hilborn
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Production Method ◽  
Meat Production ◽  
Environmental Costs ◽  
Animal Source Foods ◽  
Sustainable Diets ◽  
Animal Source ◽  
Nutritional Benefits ◽  
Fish And Shellfish

Abstract Recent discussions of healthy and sustainable diets encourage increased consumption of plants and decreased consumption of animal-source foods for both human and environmental health. Seafood is often peripheral in these discussions. This paper examines the relative environmental costs of sourcing key nutrients from different kinds of seafood, other animal-source foods, and a range of plant-based foods. We linked a nutrient richness index for different foods to life cycle assessments of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the production of these foods to evaluate nutritional benefits relative to this key indicator of environmental impacts. The lowest GHG emissions to meet average nutrient requirement values were found in grains, tubers, roots, seeds, wild-caught small pelagic fish, and farmed bivalve shellfish. The highest GHG emissions per nutrient supply are in beef, pork, wild-caught prawns, farmed catfish, tilapia and farmed crustaceans. Among animal-source foods, some fish and shellfish have GHG emissions at least as low as plants and merit inclusion in food systems policymaking for their potential to support a healthy, sustainable diet. However, other aquatic species and production methods deliver nutrition to diets at environmental costs at least as high as land-based meat production. It is important to disaggregate seafood by species and production method in ‘planetary health diet’ advice.

The Role of Animal-Source Foods in Sustainable, Ethical, and Optimal Human Diets

2020 ◽  
pp. 344-364
Author(s):  
Julia de Bruyn ◽  
Brigitte Bagnol ◽  
Hilary H. Chan ◽  
Delia Grace ◽  
Marisa E. V. Mitchell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Human Growth ◽  
Micronutrient Deficiencies ◽  
Healthy Human ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Animal Source Foods ◽  
Animal Source ◽  
Nutritional Needs

Achieving sustainable, ethical food systems in support of human and planetary health is among the greatest challenges facing the global community. Globally, 815 million people are chronically undernourished, 108 million children and 604 million adults are obese, and more than two billion people are at risk of micronutrient deficiencies. Animal-source foods (ASFs), including milk, meat, fish, and eggs, provide high-quality protein and a variety of micronutrients in forms readily absorbed and used by the human body. Current research continues to explore the nutritional contributions of ASFs, their interactions with other dietary components, and their role in healthy human growth and development. This chapter uses the framework of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) to consider the value of ASFs in human diets across a range of settings. It discusses opportunities for multidisciplinary efforts that harness science, technology, and innovation (STI) to mitigate risks of foodborne disease, to promote the efficient management of natural resources, to reduce nutrient losses within livestock value chains, and to support gender- and culturally sensitive communication around livestock management and human nutrition. In support of the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, this chapter proposes opportunities to meet the nutritional needs of current and future populations while supporting biodiversity and conserving scarce natural resources.

scholarly journals The ongoing nutrition transition thwarts long-term targets for food security, public health and environmental protection

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Leon Bodirsky ◽  
Jan Philipp Dietrich ◽  
Eleonora Martinelli ◽  
Antonia Stenstad ◽  
Prajal Pradhan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Environmental Change ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Nutrition Transition ◽  
Household Waste ◽  
Food Demand ◽  
World Population ◽  
Health Food ◽  
Animal Source Foods ◽  
Animal Source

AbstractThe nutrition transition transforms food systems globally and shapes public health and environmental change. Here we provide a global forward-looking assessment of a continued nutrition transition and its interlinked symptoms in respect to food consumption. These symptoms range from underweight and unbalanced diets to obesity, food waste and environmental pressure. We find that by 2050, 45% (39–52%) of the world population will be overweight and 16% (13–20%) obese, compared to 29% and 9% in 2010 respectively. The prevalence of underweight approximately halves but absolute numbers stagnate at 0.4–0.7 billion. Aligned, dietary composition shifts towards animal-source foods and empty calories, while the consumption of vegetables, fruits and nuts increases insufficiently. Population growth, ageing, increasing body mass and more wasteful consumption patterns are jointly pushing global food demand from 30 to 45 (43–47) Exajoules. Our comprehensive open dataset and model provides the interfaces necessary for integrated studies of global health, food systems, and environmental change. Achieving zero hunger, healthy diets, and a food demand compatible with environmental boundaries necessitates a coordinated redirection of the nutrition transition. Reducing household waste, animal-source foods, and overweight could synergistically address multiple symptoms at once, while eliminating underweight would not substantially increase food demand.

scholarly journals Circularity in animal production requires a change in the EAT-Lancet diet in Europe

Nature Food ◽  
2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin van Selm ◽  
Anita Frehner ◽  
Imke J. M. de Boer ◽  
Ollie van Hal ◽  
Renske Hijbeek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Poultry Meat ◽  
Allocation Model ◽  
Animal Products ◽  
Animal Source Foods ◽  
Animal Source

AbstractIt is not known whether dietary guidelines proposing a limited intake of animal protein are compatible with the adoption of circular food systems. Using a resource-allocation model, we compared the effects of circularity on the supply of animal-source nutrients in Europe with the nutritional requirements of the EAT-Lancet reference diet. We found the two to be compatible in terms of total animal-source proteins but not specific animal-source foods; in particular, the EAT-Lancet guidelines recommend larger quantities of poultry meat over beef and pork, while a circular food system produces mainly milk, dairy-beef and pork. Compared with the EAT-Lancet reference diet, greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by up to 31% and arable land use reduced by up to 42%. Careful consideration of the feasible substitutability between animal-source foods is needed to define potential roles of animal products in circular human diets.

scholarly journals The role of animal-source foods in healthy, sustainable, and equitable food systems

10.36072/dp.5 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stella Nordhagen ◽  
◽  
Ty Beal ◽  
Lawrence Haddad
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Animal Source Foods ◽  
Animal Source

scholarly journals Community engagement and the promotion of sustainable diets: Lessons from a grassroots meat reduction campaign

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Rebecca Ramsing ◽  
Kenjin Chang ◽  
Zoé Hendrickson ◽  
Zhe Xu ◽  
Madison Friel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Choices ◽  
Whole Grains ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Animal Source Foods ◽  
Sustainable Diets ◽  
Animal Source ◽  
Individual Household ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Dietary Behavior Change

Decreasing the consumption of meat and dairy has been identified as an effective strategy for protecting the health of humans and the planet. More specifically, transitioning to diets that are lower in animal-source foods and higher in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains offers a promising opportunity to better align consumer behaviors with contemporary nutritional and ecological goals. However, given the limited understanding of how these changes in dietary behaviors can be best promoted, there is a need to explore the merits of community-based approaches to meat reduction and their capacity to advance more sustainable practices of eating at the individual, household, and community levels. To address this gap in the literature, we surveyed more than 100 American households participating in a communitywide, 12-week-long Meatless Monday challenge and tracked the changes in their knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and food choices over a nine-month period. The case study provided herein highlights a number of key findings from our evaluation. Most notably, our results demonstrate the value of community-based efforts in initiating and maintaining dietary behavior change and provide preliminary insights into the unique roles of multilevel interventions and diverse stakeholder engagement in promoting healthier, more sustainable diets.

scholarly journals Cross-scale trade-off analysis for sustainable development: linking future demand for animal source foods and ecosystem services provision to the SDGs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Kozicka ◽  
Sarah K. Jones ◽  
Elisabetta Gotor ◽  
Dolapo Enahoro
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Animal Source Foods ◽  
Animal Source ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Future Demand

AbstractDietary transition towards higher consumption of animal source foods (ASF) associated with higher incomes across low and middle-income countries could have negative impacts on environmental systems and their potential in the long run to provide services necessary for achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this article, we integrate economic, land use allocation, and biophysical models to investigate trade-offs between the five ecosystem services and their contributions to various SDGs associated with agricultural expansion to meet future demand for ASF, using Tanzania as a case study. Our results show that under the scenario of sustainable socio-economic development, between 2010 and 2030 in Tanzania, per capita income grows by 169% and the share of population at risk of hunger declines from 34.8% to 23%. These changes can be associated on a macro-level with positive contributions to achievement of SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). To satisfy feed demand for increased livestock production domestically, an increase by 21.4% of biomass production as compared to 2010 is needed. Analysis of alternative scenarios for meeting this new demand shows potential threats on a landscape level to achieving numerous SDGs and more generally to attaining sustainable food systems. Ecosystem-based contributions primarily decline to SDGs: SDG 3 (Health), SDG 6 (Clean Water), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities), SDG 13 (Climate) and SDG 15 (Terrestrial Life). We find that higher crop productivity and redesign of agro-ecosystems to increase on-farm tree cover could significantly limit these losses. Alternatively, the growing demand for ASF could be satisfied with imports, which would allow for reducing the trade-offs locally. However, this would result in at least partially only displacing ecosystem service losses to the exporting countries.

scholarly journals Culturally appropriate shifts in staple grain consumption can improve multiple sustainability outcomes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongyang Wei ◽  
Kyle Frankel Davis
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Great Influence ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Nutrient Supply ◽  
Whole Grains ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Culturally Appropriate ◽  
Sustainable Diets ◽  
Dietary Shifts

Abstract Diets exercise great influence over both human and environmental health. While numerous efforts have sought to define and identify sustainable diets, there remains a poor understanding of the extent to which such shifts are feasible when taking into account local dietary preferences. Accounting for 40% of dietary calories and 46% of global cropland, cereals offer an important food group by which culturally appropriate dietary shifts may achieve large sustainability benefits. Here we combine country-specific information on dietary cereal supply with nutrient content values, CO2 nutrient penalties, and environmental footprints to quantify the outcomes of adopting two feasible dietary shifts – maximizing the share of C4 cereals (e.g., maize, millet, sorghum) based on historical shares and increasing the share of whole grains. Our results show that increasing the share of whole grains can increase nutrient supply (+7% protein, +37% iron, +42% zinc) and overcome the nutrient-depleting effects of elevated CO2 (eCO2) and that maximizing the share of C4 cereals can substantial reduce environmental burden (-12% GHG emissions, -11% blue water demand), particularly in Africa and the Middle East. We also find that a combination of the two strategies would likely produce strong co-benefits between increased nutrient supply and reduced environmental impacts with mixed outcomes for offsetting the effects of eCO2. Such simultaneously improvements are particularly important for food insecure regions such as West Africa and Southeast Asia. These findings demonstrate important opportunities to identify sustainable diets that incorporate local preferences and cultural acceptability. Such considerations are essential when developing demand-side solutions to achieve more sustainable food systems.

scholarly journals The Complementary Roles for Plant-Source and Animal-Source Foods in Sustainable Healthy Diets

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 3469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin B. Comerford ◽  
Gregory D. Miller ◽  
Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak ◽  
Katie A. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Food Groups ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Plant Source ◽  
Animal Source Foods ◽  
Animal Source ◽  
Healthy Diets

There are approximately 100 countries with food-based dietary guidelines throughout the world, each of which aims to encompass the cultural, geographical, and health considerations unique to their country of origin. Common themes throughout these guides emphasize diverse and balanced intake of food groups from both plant- and animal-sources. With the globally recognized need to shift to more sustainable food systems, several countries and international food and health organizations have begun to incorporate sustainability recommendations into their dietary guidance. These sustainability recommendations are often based on food source (i.e., eat more plant-source and fewer animal-source foods), yet food source may not be the only useful or informative comparator for assessing healthy and sustainable diets. The purpose of this narrative review is to examine the roles of plant-source foods and animal-source foods in the context of sustainable healthy diets—with an emphasis on the contributions of the most commonly recommended food groups from global food-based dietary guidelines (i.e., fruits, vegetables, and dairy foods). Overall, plant and animal agriculture have complementary and symbiotic roles in healthy and sustainable food systems, and these abilities are largely dependent on various contextual factors (e.g., geography, production practices, processing methods, consumption patterns)—not just on whether the food originated from the plant or animal kingdom.

scholarly journals Cash transfers and child nutritional outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (12) ◽  
pp. e003621
Author(s):  
James Manley ◽  
Yarlini Balarajan ◽  
Shahira Malm ◽  
Luke Harman ◽  
Jessica Owens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Nutrition ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Cash Transfer ◽  
Animal Source Foods ◽  
Animal Source ◽  
Z Scores ◽  
Households With Children ◽  
The Impact

BackgroundCash transfer (CT) programmes are implemented widely to alleviate poverty and provide safety nets to vulnerable households with children. However, evidence on the effects of CTs on child health and nutrition outcomes has been mixed. We systematically reviewed evidence of the impact of CTs on child nutritional status and selected proximate determinants.MethodsWe searched articles published between January 1997 and September 2018 using Agris, Econlit, Eldis, IBSS, IDEAS, IFPRI, Google Scholar, PubMed and World Bank databases. We included studies using quantitative impact evaluation methods of CTs with sample sizes over 300, targeted to households with children under 5 years old conducted in countries with gross domestic product per capita below US$10 000 at baseline. We conducted meta-analysis using random-effects models to assess the impact of CT programmes on selected child nutrition outcomes and meta-regression analysis to examine the association of programme characteristics with effect sizes.ResultsOut of 2862 articles identified, 74 articles were eligible for inclusion. We find that CTs have significant effects of 0.03±0.03 on height-for-age z-scores (p<0.03) and a decrease of 2.1% in stunting (95% CI −3.5% to −0.7%); consumption of animal-source foods (4.5%, 95% CI 2.9% to 6.0%); dietary diversity (0.73, 95% CI 0.28 to 1.19) and diarrhoea incidence (−2.7%, 95% CI −5.4% to −0.0%; p<0.05). The effects of CTs on weight-for-age z-scores and wasting were not significant (0.02, 95% CI −0.03 to 0.08; p<0.42) and (1.2%, 95% CI: −0.1% to 2.5%; p<0.07), respectively. We found that specific programme characteristics differentially modified the effect on the nutrition outcomes studied.ConclusionWe found that CT programmes targeted to households with young children improved linear growth and contributed to reduced stunting. We found that the likely pathways were through increased dietary diversity, including through the increased consumption of animal-source foods and reduced incidence of diarrhoea. With heightened interest in nutrition-responsive social protection programmes to improve child nutrition, we make recommendations to inform the design and implementation of future programmes.

Food systems are responsible for a third of global anthropogenic GHG emissions

Nature Food ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Crippa ◽  
E. Solazzo ◽  
D. Guizzardi ◽  
F. Monforti-Ferrario ◽  
F. N. Tubiello ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Ghg Emissions
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