scholarly journals Diets within Environmental Limits: The Climate Impact of Current and Recommended Australian Diets

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1122
Author(s):  
Bradley Ridoutt ◽  
Danielle Baird ◽  
Gilly A. Hendrie
Keyword(s):  
Food System ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Climate Impact ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Additional Contribution ◽  
Australian Health ◽  
Dietary Strategy ◽  
Sustainability Concept ◽  
Operating Space ◽  
Environmental Limits

Planetary boundaries are an important sustainability concept, defining absolute limits for resource use and emissions that need to be respected to avoid major and potentially irreversible earth system change. To remain within the safe operating space for humanity, there is a need for urgent adoption of climate-neutral diets, which make no additional contribution to warming. In the first study of its kind, a new climate metric, the Global Warming Potential Star (GWP*), was used to assess greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with 9341 Australian adult diets obtained from the Australian Health Survey. Dietary climate footprints averaged 3.4 kg CO2-equivelent per person per day, with total energy intake explaining around one quarter of the variation. Energy-dense and nutrient-poor discretionary foods contributed around one third. With lower climate footprint food choices, a diet consistent with current Australian dietary guidelines had a 42% lower climate footprint. Currently, it is not possible to define a climate-neutral dietary strategy in Australia because there are very few climate-neutral foods in the Australian food system. To bring Australian diets into line with the climate stabilization goals of the Paris Agreement, the most important need is for innovation across the agricultural and food processing industries to expand the range of climate-neutral foods available.

An assessment of the water use associated with Australian diets using a planetary boundary framework

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1570-1575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley G Ridoutt ◽  
Danielle Baird ◽  
Kim Anastasiou ◽  
Gilly A Hendrie
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Health Survey ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Food System ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Australian Health ◽  
Activity Component ◽  
Intervention Point

AbstractObjective:Agriculture accounts for around 70 % of global freshwater withdrawals. As such, the food system has been identified as a critical intervention point to address water scarcity. Various studies have identified dietary patterns that contribute less to water scarcity. However, it is unclear what level of reduction is necessary to be considered sustainable. The pursuit of unnecessarily aggressive reductions could limit dietary diversity. Our objective was to assess the sustainability of water use supporting Australian dietary habits and the adequacy of current dietary guidelines.Design:Dietary intake data were obtained from the National Nutrition and Physical Activity component of the Australian Health Survey. For each individual daily diet, the water scarcity footprint was quantified, following ISO14046:2014, as well as a diet quality score. Water scarcity footprint results were compared with the planetary boundary for freshwater use downscaled to the level of an individual diet.Setting:Australia.Participants:9341 adults participating in the Australian Health Survey.Results:Dietary water scarcity footprints averaged 432·6 L-eq (95 % CI 432·5, 432·8), less than the 695 litres/person per d available to support the current global population of 7·8 billion, and the 603 litres/person per d available for a future population of 9 billion. Diets based on the Australian Dietary Guidelines required 521 L-eq/d, or 379 L-eq/d with lower water scarcity footprint food choices.Conclusions:Diets based on the Australian Dietary Guidelines were found to be within the freshwater planetary boundary. What is needed in Australia is greater compliance with dietary guidelines.

The compatibility of animal-sourced food and circularity in healthy European diets

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin van Selm ◽  
Anita Frehner ◽  
Imke de Boer ◽  
Ollie van Hal ◽  
Renske Hijbeek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Animal Products ◽  
Circular System

Abstract Several dietary guidelines are developed that propose limiting the intake of animal protein to stay within planetary boundaries and improve human health. Simultaneously, circular food systems are receiving significant attention in the European Union as an option to improve the current food system. In a circular system, animals are solely fed with low-opportunity-cost-biomass (LCB), resulting in substantially fewer animals and reduced supply of animal-sourced nutrients to humans. We assessed whether this circularity principle within the EU-28 is compatible with the recommended animal-source food consumption in healthy and environmentally friendly dietary guidelines such as the EAT-LANCET dietary guidelines. Our results show that the overall quantity of animal-sourced protein in EAT-LANCET dietary guidelines can be met, but that the precise levels of inclusion of different animal-sourced foods in such a diet cannot be achieved. The EAT-LANCET guidelines recommend larger quantities of chicken meat over beef and pork while a circular food system produces mainly milk, dairy-beef, and pork. All three circularity diets outperform the EAT-LANCET diet in nutritional value while reducing GHG emissions (up-to 31%) and arable land use (up-to 42%). Careful consideration of the permissible substitutability between animal-sourced foods is urgently needed to define the role of animal products in circular human diets. In this way the consumption of animal products - based on the circularity principle of only feeding animals with LCB - benefits both human health and the environment.

scholarly journals The health implications of distrust in the food system: findings from the dimensions of trust in food systems scale (DOTIFS scale)

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Tonkin ◽  
Trevor Webb ◽  
Julie Henderson ◽  
Paul R. Ward ◽  
John Coveney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Content Validity ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Consumer Trust ◽  
Safety Practices ◽  
Health Related ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Consumer trust in food systems is essential for consumers, food industry, policy makers and regulators. Yet no comprehensive tool for measuring consumer trust in food systems exists. Similarly, the impact that trust in the food system has on health-related food behaviours is yet to be empirically examined. The aim of this research was to develop a comprehensive instrument to measure trust in the food system (the Dimensions of Trust in Food Systems Scale (DOTIFS scale) and use it to explore whether trust in the food system impacts consumers’ health-related behaviours. Methods The DOTIFS scale was developed using sociological theories of trust and pre-existing instruments measuring aspects of trust. It was pilot tested and content validity was assessed with 85 participants. A mixed-methods exploration of the health-related behaviours of 18 conveniently sampled Australian consumers with differing trust scores determined by the DOTIFS scale was then conducted. During March–July 2019 shopping- and home-observations were used to assess participants’ food safety practices and exposure to public health fortification programs, while the CSIRO Healthy Diet Score determined their adherence to national dietary guidelines. Results The DOTIFS scale was found to have high comprehension, ease of use and content validity. Statistical analysis showed scale scores significantly trended as predicted by participants’ stated level of trust. Differences were found in the way individuals with more or less trust in the food system comply with national dietary guidelines, are exposed to public health fortification programs, and adhere to recommended food safety practices. Conclusions The DOTIFS scale is a comprehensive, sociologically- and empirically- informed assessment of consumer trust in food systems that can be self-administered online to large populations and used to measure changes in consumer trust over time. The differences in health-related behaviours between individuals with varying levels of trust warrant further investigation.

scholarly journals Sustainability Indicators for Foods Benefiting Climate and Health

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3621
Author(s):  
Anna Strid ◽  
Elinor Hallström ◽  
Ulf Sonesson ◽  
Josefin Sjons ◽  
Anna Winkvist ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Product Development ◽  
Food Product ◽  
Climate Impact ◽  
Sustainability Indicators ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Nutrient Density ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Food Product Development

New methods for combined evaluation of nutritional and environmental aspects of food products are needed to enable a transformation of dietary guidelines integrating both health and environmental perspectives. We evaluated two sustainability aspects; nutrition and climate impact, of foods commonly consumed in Sweden and the implications of using parallel or integrated assessments of these two aspects, also discussing the usability and suitability of these food sustainability indicators in relation to Swedish dietary guidelines, industry food product development, and consumer communication. There were large differences in both nutrient density and climate impact among the different foods. The parallel assessment easily visualized synergies and trade-offs between these two sustainability aspects for the different foods. Coherence with dietary guidelines was good, and suitability and usability deemed satisfying. The integrated indicator showed better coherence with dietary guidelines than indicators based solely on nutrient density or climate impact; however, the difficulty to interpret the score limits its usability in product development and consumer communication. With both methods, advantageous as well as less advantageous plant-based and animal-based food alternatives were suggested. The two alternative methods evaluated could serve as useful tools to drive individual and societal development towards more sustainable food production and consumption.

scholarly journals Methodology for developing and evaluating food-based dietary guidelines and a Healthy Eating Index for Ethiopia: a study protocol

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. e027846 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tesfaye Hailu Bekele ◽  
Jeanne JHM de Vries ◽  
Laura Trijsburg ◽  
Edith Feskens ◽  
Namukolo Covic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Food System ◽  
Healthy Eating Index ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Population Characteristics ◽  
Ethical Review ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Link Type

IntroductionFood-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) are used to promote and maintain healthy eating in a population, by providing country-specific guidance. However, many African countries like Ethiopia do not have FBDGs. This paper describes the methodology for the development of Ethiopian FBDGs and for creating and evaluating a Healthy Eating Index and a scoring tool that can be used to monitor the adherence of the population to FBDGs.Methods and analysisA multidisciplinary technical working group will be tasked to develop FBDGs for the general population above 2 years of age based on identification of priority diet-related public health problems and risk factors, and a systematic review of dietary patterns in relation to the identified priority health outcomes, following a multistep process. FBDGs will be translated into daily food choices for specific subpopulations by applying linear programming using data from the National Food Consumption Survey (NFCS) of 2011. FBDGs will be evaluated for cultural appropriateness, acceptability, consumer understanding and practicality. A dietary gap assessment will be conducted by comparing the national food supply with the country’s food demand. In addition an Ethiopian Healthy Eating Index (EHEI) will be developed based on the FBDGs using the NFCS data. The EHEI will be evaluated by comparing the EHEI Score based on 24 hours diet recall with that of the EHEI Score based on a Food Frequency Questionnaire, by analysing the association of the EHEI Score with population characteristics and micronutrient intake with or without additional adjustment for energy intake. Finally, a brief Food Quality Screening tool scoring for the important EHEI components will be developed to enable evaluation for counselling.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval is received from the Scientific and Ethical Review Office of the Ethiopian Public Health Institute. The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications.A dissemination workshop will be organised with key implementing sectors of the food system for a healthier diet (http://a4nh.cgiar.org/our-research/research-flagships/) and with key public and private partners. The findings from this study will be translated into FBDGs and shared through conferences, reports and the mass media (TV and radio).Trial registration numberNCT03394963; Pre-results.

scholarly journals Faith in Fat: A Multisite Examination of University Students’ Perceptions of Fat in the Diet

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 2560
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Landry ◽  
Jasmine M. Olvany ◽  
Megan P. Mueller ◽  
Tiffany Chen ◽  
Dana Ikeda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Food System ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
The United States ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Unsaturated Fat ◽  
Fat Consumption

Despite recent relaxation of restrictions on dietary fat consumption in dietary guidelines, there remains a collective “fear of fat”. This study examined college students’ perceptions of health among foods with no fat relative to foods with different types of fats (unsaturated and saturated). Utilizing a multisite approach, this study collected data from college students at six university dining halls throughout the United States. Data were available on 533 students. Participants were 52% male and consisted largely of first-year students (43%). Across three meal types, the no-fat preparation option was chosen 73% of the time, the unsaturated fat option was selected 23% of the time, and the saturated fat option was chosen 4% of the time. Students chose the no-fat option for all meal types 44% of the time. Findings suggest that college students lack knowledge regarding the vital role played by the type and amount of fats within a healthy diet. Nutrition education and food system reforms are needed to help consumers understand that type of fat is more important than total amount of fat. Efforts across various sectors can encourage incorporating, rather than avoiding, fats within healthy dietary patterns.

scholarly journals Assessing Energy and Environmental Efficiency of the Spanish Agri-Food System Using the LCA/DEA Methodology

Energies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 3395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jara Laso ◽  
Daniel Hoehn ◽  
María Margallo ◽  
Isabel García-Herrero ◽  
Laura Batlle-Bayer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Current Trend ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Average Energy ◽  
Development Cooperation ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Resource Exploitation

Feeding the world’s population sustainably is a major challenge of our society, and was stated as one of the key priorities for development cooperation by the European Union (EU) policy framework on food security. However, with the current trend of natural resource exploitation, food systems consume around 30% of final energy use, generating up to 30% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Given the expected increase of global population (nine billion people by 2050) and the amount of food losses and waste generated (one-third of global food production), improving the efficiency of food systems along the supply chain is essential to ensure food security. This study combines life-cycle assessment (LCA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) to assess the efficiency of Spanish agri-food system and to propose improvement actions in order to reduce energy usage and GHG emissions. An average energy saving of approximately 70% is estimated for the Spanish agri-food system in order to be efficient. This study highlights the importance of the DEA method as a tool for energy optimization, identifying efficient and inefficient food systems. This approach could be adopted by administrations, policy-makers, and producers as a helpful instrument to support decision-making and improve the sustainability of agri-food systems.

scholarly journals Environmental Impact of Increased Adherence to SENC Food Based Dietary Guidelines in the Average Dietary Patterns in Spain

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 563-563
Author(s):  
Carmen Perez-Rodrigo ◽  
Marta Gianzo Citores ◽  
Gotzone Hervás Bárbara ◽  
Javier Aranceta-Bartrina
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Dietary Patterns ◽  
Population Sample ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Food Group ◽  
Consumer Involvement ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Dietary Changes ◽  
Freshwater Use

Abstract Objectives To analyze estimated changes in greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, cropland use and freshwater use of greater adherence to recommendations in Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG) issued by the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition (SENC) in average dietary patterns in Spain. Methods The data analyzed was drawn from the ENPE study (n = 6800), a cross-sectional study conducted on a random population sample of Spanish population (2015). Dietary intake data was collected by means of a validated 210-item quantitative food frequency questionnaire. A score of adherence to recommendations in SENC FBDG (DG score) was computed (DG score range 0 to 16). Based on food group intake and adherence to each quantitative recommendation, we estimated food group consumption for a 20% increase in adherence to FBDGs. We calculated the potential environmental impact for those estimates, considering data available on crop specific environmental footprints for greenhouse gas emissions, cropland use and freshwater use. Results SENC FBDGs were formulated in tune with current food, cultural, gastronomic, and economic context. Changes in usual diets that people could comfortably afford in the short and medium term were suggested. Mean adherence DG score in this sample was 7.43 ± 1.94 (median = 7). Dietary changes required for increased adherence DG score included decreased consumption of red and processed meats as well as sugary foods and beverages. In addition, higher consumption of whole grains, fish, eggs, legumes, fruit, vegetables and nuts. Such dietary changes were estimated to contribute to 24% reduction in GHG emissions, but 16% increase in cropland use and 25% in freshwater use. Conclusions FBDG are useful tools for preventive actions and health promotion, helpful for guidance in health, education, and community settings. Despite limited evidence, increased adherence to SENC FBDGs can contribute to reduce GHG emissions. Analysis of impact on a variety of indicators of sustainability, comprehensive food system view and consumer involvement are needed to gain adherence to FBDGs and additional impact on sustainability. Funding Sources Non-for-profit Eroski Foundation funded the ENPE study field work in collaboration with SPRIM. Funders had no role in data analysis, selection or interpretation of results. The authors declare no competing interests.

scholarly journals Can a Shift to Regional and Organic Diets Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Food System? A Case Study from Qatar

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Luis Vicente Vicente ◽  
Annette Piorr
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Food System ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Animal Products ◽  
Livestock Species ◽  
Dairy Consumption ◽  
Self Sufficiency ◽  
Small Influence ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Food Imports

Abstract BackgroundQatar is one of the countries with the highest carbon (C) footprints per capita in the world with an increasing population and food demand. Furthermore, the international blockade by some countries that is affecting Qatar – which has been traditionally a highly-dependent country on food imports – since 2017 has led the authorities to take the decision of increasing food self-sufficiency. In this study we have assessed the effect on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of shifting diets from conventional to organic products and from import-based diets to more regionalized diets for the first time in a Gulf country.ResultsWe found that considering the production system, the majority of the emissions come from the animal products, but the differences between conventional and organic diets are very small (738 and 722 Kg CO2-eq capita-1 yr-1, of total emissions, respectively). Conversely, total emissions from plant-based products consumption are one order of magnitude smaller, but the differences in the emissions between the two systems were higher, leading to a decrease in 88 Kg CO2-eq capita-1 yr-1 when changing from conventional to organic consumption. Regarding the change to 100% regionalized diets, we found that packaging has a small influence on the total amount of GHG emissions, whereas emissions from transportation would be reduced in 780Kg CO2 capita-1 yr-1 for the business as usual scenario of 2015.ConclusionsDue to the extreme adverse pedoclimatic conditions of the country, commercial organic regional livestock would not be possible without emitting very high GHG emissions and just only some traditional livestock species could be farmed in a climate-friendly way. On the other hand, organic and regional low-CO2 emission systems of plant-based products would be possible by implementing innovations in irrigation or other innovations whose GHG emissions must be further studied in the future. Therefore, we conclude that shifting towards more plant-based organic regional products consumption by using climate-friendly irrigation innovations in combination with a decrease in the total meat and dairy consumption and a shift to traditional livestock species farming is a suitable solution to both increasing self-sufficiency and reducing C footprint.

scholarly journals Social Policy Without Growth: Moving Towards Sustainable Welfare States

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Max Koch
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Role Of The State ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
Operating Space ◽  
Historical Role ◽  
Environmental Limits ◽  
Safe Operating

Growth-dependent welfare states contribute to climate emergency. The ecological economics, degrowth, and sustainable welfare literatures demonstrate that to re-embed Western production and consumption patterns in environmental limits, an encompassing social-ecological transformation would need to be initiated very soon. This article focuses on the potential roles of the welfare state and social policy in this transformation, applying the concepts of ‘sustainable welfare’ and ‘safe-operating space’. Based on two Swedish studies, it also provides an empirical analysis of the popularity of selected eco-social policies designed to steer the economy and society towards this space: maximum and basic incomes, taxes on wealth and meat, as well as working time reductions. In analogy to the historical role of the state in reconstituting the welfare-work nexus in the post-WWII era and its present engagement in the context of the Covid-19 crisis, it is argued that a more interventionist state is required to grapple with climate emergency.

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