scholarly journals Examining the Environmental Impacts of the Dairy and Baby Food Industries: Are First-Food Systems a Crucial Missing Part of the Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems Agenda Now Underway?

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (23) ◽  
pp. 12678
Author(s):  
Daniel H. Pope ◽  
Johan O. Karlsson ◽  
Phillip Baker ◽  
David McCoy
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Infant Nutrition ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Milk Formula ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Planetary Health ◽  
Food Industries ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
The Impact

Food systems are increasingly being understood as driving various health and ecological crises and their transformation is recognised as a key opportunity for planetary health. First-food systems represent an underexplored aspect of this transformation. Despite breastfeeding representing the optimal source of infant nutrition, use of commercial milk formula (CMF) is high and growing rapidly. In this review, we examine the impact of CMF use on planetary health, considering in particular its effects on climate change, water use and pollution and the consequences of these effects for human health. Milk is the main ingredient in the production of CMF, making the role of the dairy sector a key area of attention. We find that CMF use has twice the carbon footprint of breastfeeding, while 1 kg of CMF has a blue water footprint of 699 L; CMF has a significant and harmful environmental impact. Facilitation and protection of breastfeeding represents a key part of developing sustainable first-food systems and has huge potential benefits for maternal and child health.

scholarly journals Healthy Planet, Healthy Youth: A Food Systems Education and Promotion Intervention to Improve Adolescent Diet Quality and Reduce Food Waste

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1869 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Pflugh Prescott ◽  
Xanna Burg ◽  
Jessica Jarick Metcalfe ◽  
Alexander E. Lipka ◽  
Cameron Herritt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Science Teachers ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Plate Waste ◽  
The Impact

Emerging evidence suggests a link between young people’s interest in alternative food production practices and dietary quality. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a student-driven sustainable food systems education and promotion intervention on adolescent school lunch selection, consumption, and waste behaviors. Sixth grade science teachers at two middle schools (n = 268 students) implemented a standards-based curriculum on sustainable food systems, addressing the environmental impacts of food choices and food waste. The cumulating curriculum activity required the 6th grade students to share their food systems knowledge with their 7th and 8th grade counterparts (n = 426) through a cafeteria promotional campaign to discourage food waste. School-wide monthly plate waste assessments were used to evaluate changes in vegetable consumption and overall plate waste using a previously validated digital photography method. At baseline, the intervention students consumed significantly less vegetables relative to the control group (47.1% and 71.8% of vegetables selected, respectively (p = 0.006). This disparity was eliminated after the intervention with the intervention group consuming 69.4% and the control consuming 68.1% of selected vegetables (p = 0.848). At five months follow up, the intervention group wasted significantly less salad bar vegetables compared to the control group (24.2 g and 50.1 g respectively (p = 0.029). These findings suggest that food systems education can be used to promote improved dietary behaviors among adolescent youth.

Mountain tourism – Towards a more sustainable path

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Effective Management ◽  
Valuable Contribution ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Sporting Activities ◽  
Tourism Services ◽  
The Impact

With their soaring peaks, remote locations and majestic beauty, mountains have long been a powerful attraction for visitors from all walks of life, who are drawn by the often colourful traditions of local communities, the opportunities for sporting activities, and the spiritual solace to be found in highland landscapes. This study highlights the important role that tourism can play in valuing the natural and spiritual heritage of mountains, and the cultural diversity and traditional practices of mountain peoples. Particularly when linked to nature and rural tourism, mountain tourism can make a valuable contribution to promoting sustainable food systems and adding value to local products. Developing sustainable tourism in mountains requires reducing its negative environmental and social impacts and addressing the challenges posed by climate change. The COVID-19 pandemic has already brought about major changes in the mountain tourism sector and substantial losses for communities and businesses. However, consumer appetites for destinations that are outdoors and less crowded have increased in the wake of the pandemic, and these changes usher in new opportunities for mountain destinations to rebuild a greener and more sustainable form of tourism and rethink their products and services. For this to happen, the following measures will be critical: innovation and development of year-round tourism experiences; investments in infrastructure, particularly for the digitalization of mountain tourism services; strengthening multi-level-governance, partnerships and active community participation; and ensuring regular assessments of the impact of tourism on mountains, the effective management of waste and resources, and clearer practices for defining and managing the carrying capacity of highland destinations.

scholarly journals Sustainable food systems for optimal planetary health

2017 ◽  
Vol 111 (6) ◽  
pp. 238-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsey R Canavan ◽  
Ramadhani A Noor ◽  
Christopher D Golden ◽  
Calestous Juma ◽  
Wafaie Fawzi
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Planetary Health

scholarly journals A planetary health approach to secure, safe, sustainable food systems: workshop report

Food Security ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 489-493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn G. Alders ◽  
Natalie Ratanawongprasat ◽  
Hettie Schönfeldt ◽  
Darryl Stellmach
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Workshop Report ◽  
Planetary Health

scholarly journals Healthy sustainable food patterns and systems: a planetary urgency

Medwave ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (07) ◽  
pp. e8436-e8436
Author(s):  
Mariane Lutz
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
World Population ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Healthy Eating Habits ◽  
The Impact

Food choice impacts human health and planetary sustainability. The feeding patterns that reduce risk factors for noncommunicable diseases and various mortality causes are recognized as healthy eating habits. The average world population is far from reaching these habits due to the lack of access to healthy foods and a high prevalence of malnutrition. Understanding the impact of healthy sustainable food systems is growing worldwide to reach food security for the global population and future generations. A systemic perspective of this concept includes the health and well-being of individuals and the environmental, economic, socio-cultural, public policies context, besides food, agriculture, and ecological sciences. We need to confront the menaces and challenges represented by the ongoing changes of our era, which strongly generate global food insecurity. This issue is relevant not only for human health but also for climate change and other threats, based on modifications in production, handling, and consumption of foods that consider health and welfare impact at individual and planetary levels. In this review, some key concepts related to healthy and sustainable food systems are presented.

scholarly journals Food Sustainability Knowledge and Attitudes in the Spanish Adult Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 3154
Author(s):  
Ángela García-González ◽  
María Achón ◽  
Alejandra Carretero Krug ◽  
Gregorio Varela-Moreiras ◽  
Elena Alonso-Aperte
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Carbon Footprints ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Impact

Moving towards sustainable food systems and food consumption are proposed as strategies to reduce environmental impact. However, these strategies require joint action between different stakeholders, including the general population’s knowledge and perception, as final consumers. To assess the knowledge and awareness on food sustainability and environmental impact concepts in a representative sample of Spanish adult population, we conducted a cross-sectional, nationally representative telephone survey. After random selection, 2052 respondents aged ≥18 years (57% woman and 43% men) participated. A questionnaire was specifically designed for the research. Participants showed a good attitude towards sustainable diets, which were described as healthy by 40% of the population. Most of the responders (>70%), did not well understand ecological and carbon footprints, and green and blue water concepts. Men declared a higher understanding of sustainability concepts, as compared to women. More than 50% of the population misunderstood the impact of meat and derivatives production on sustainability, and 70% perceived the same for fish and dairy products. Women were more prone to pay more money to afford a sustainable diet than men were. In conclusion, although consumers show a positive attitude towards sustainability, important misconceptions remain, and thus require intervention through education, information, and motivation.

scholarly journals Impacts of Reducing UK Beef Consumption Using a Revised Sustainable Diets Framework

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (23) ◽  
pp. 6863 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chalmers ◽  
Stetkiewicz ◽  
Sudhakar ◽  
Osei-Kwasi ◽  
Reynolds
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Policy Issue ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Nutrient Adequacy ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact

The impact of beef consumption on sustainability is a complex and evolving area, as sustainability covers many areas from human nutrient adequacy to ecosystem stability. Three sustainability assessment frameworks have been created to help policy makers unpack the complexities of sustainable food systems and healthy sustainable dietary change. However, none of these frameworks have yet to be applied to a case study or individual policy issue. This paper uses a hybrid version of the sustainability assessment frameworks to investigate the impact of reducing beef consumption (with a concurrent increase in consumption of plant-based foods, with a focus on legumes) on sustainability at a UK level. The aim of this paper is to understand the applicability of these overarching frameworks at the scale of an individual policy. Such an assessment is important, as this application of previously high-level frameworks to individual policies makes it possible to summarise, at a glance, the various co-benefits and trade-offs associated with a given policy, which may be of particular value in terms of stakeholder decision-making. We find that many of the proposed metrics found within the sustainability assessment frameworks are difficult to implement at an individual issue level; however, overall they show that a reduction in beef consumption and an increase in consumption of general plant-based foods, with a focus around legumes production, would be expected to be strongly beneficial in five of the eight overarching measures which were assessed.

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