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.

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.

scholarly journals UN Food Systems Summit 2021: Dismantling Democracy and Resetting Corporate Control of Food Systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Canfield ◽  
Molly D. Anderson ◽  
Philip McMichael
Keyword(s):  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Food Governance ◽  
United Nations Food ◽  
Systems Transformation ◽  
High Level ◽  
Global Food

This article analyzes the development and organization of the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS), which is being convened by UN Secretary General António Guterres in late 2021. Although few people will dispute that global food systems need transformation, it has become clear that the Summit is instead an effort by a powerful alliance of multinational corporations, philanthropies, and export-oriented countries to subvert multilateral institutions of food governance and capture the global narrative of “food systems transformation.” This article places the upcoming Summit in the context of previous world food summits and analyzes concerns that have been voiced by many within civil society. It elaborates how the current structure and forms of participant recruitment and public engagement lack basic transparency and accountability, fail to address significant conflicts of interest, and ignore human rights. As the COVID-19 pandemic illuminates the structural vulnerabilities of the neoliberal model of food systems and the consequences of climate change for food production, a high-level commitment to equitable and sustainable food systems is needed now more than ever. However, the authors suggest that the UNFSS instead seems to follow a trajectory in which efforts to govern global food systems in the public interest has been subverted to maintain colonial and corporate forms of control.

scholarly journals The future(s) of digital agriculture and sustainable food systems: An analysis of high-level policy documents

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
pp. 101183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alana Lajoie-O'Malley ◽  
Kelly Bronson ◽  
Simone van der Burg ◽  
Laurens Klerkx
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
The Future ◽  
Digital Agriculture ◽  
High Level

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 A sustainability compass for policy navigation to sustainable food systems

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aniek Hebinck ◽  
Monika Zurek ◽  
Thom Achterbosch ◽  
Björn Forkman ◽  
Anneleen Kuijsten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Continue Development ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Sustainability Governance ◽  
Stakeholder Input ◽  
Sustainability Assessments

The growing acknowledgement that food systems require transformation has led to a call for comprehensive sustainability assessments to support decision-making. For frameworks to serve sustainability governance, they must show the trade-offs and unintended consequences that might result from policy decisions across key goals relevant to food system actors. This paper reviews existing literature and frameworks and builds on stakeholder input to present a sustainability compass with associated metrics for food system assessments. The compass defines sustainability scores for four societal goals, underpinned by areas of concern. The operationalisation approach for assessment balances policy-usability, system complexity and comprehensiveness, while providing actionable insights. It concludes by outlining additional challenges for research to continue development of food system frameworks that support sustainability governance.

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 Enhancing Linkages Between Healthy Diets, Local Agriculture, and Sustainable Food Systems

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 571-584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meenakshi Fernandes ◽  
Rae Galloway ◽  
Aulo Gelli ◽  
Daniel Mumuni ◽  
Salha Hamdani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
School Meals ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Local Agriculture ◽  
Feeding Programs ◽  
School Feeding ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Healthy Diets ◽  
Feeding Program

Background: Interventions that enhance linkages between healthy diets and local agriculture can promote sustainable food systems. Home-grown school feeding programs present a promising entry point for such interventions, through the delivery of nutritious menus and meals. Objective: To describe the adaptation of the School Meals Planner Package to the programmatic and environmental reality in Ghana during the 2014 to 2015 school year. Methods: Guided by a conceptual framework highlighting key considerations and trade-offs in menu design, an open-source software was developed that could be easily understood by program implementers. Readily available containers from markets were calibrated into “handy measures” to support the provision of adequate quantities of food indicated by menus. Schools and communities were sensitized to the benefits of locally sourced, nutrient-rich diets. A behavior change communication campaign including posters and songs promoting healthy diets was designed and disseminated in schools and communities. Results: The School Meals Planner Package was introduced in 42 districts in Ghana, reaching more than 320 000 children. Monitoring reports and feedback on its use were positive, demonstrating how the tool can be used by planners and implementers alike to deliver nutritious, locally-sourced meals to schoolchildren. The value of the tool has been recognized at the highest levels by Ghana’s government who have adopted it as official policy. Conclusions: The School Meals Planner Package supported the design of nutritious, locally sourced menus for the school feeding program in Ghana. The tool can be similarly adapted for other countries to meet context-specific needs.

scholarly journals Increased vulnerability of family farming in the context of a weakened FNS agenda due to austerity measures in Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
Carlos Germano Ferreira Costa
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Government Expenditure ◽  
Territorial Development ◽  
Family Farming ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Institutional Contexts ◽  
Zero Hunger ◽  
High Level

<p>SDG goals of ending poverty and achieving Zero Hunger must address the nexus of a transformational shift in the Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) Agenda, integrating more sustainable food systems, territorial development, sustainable infrastructure, fiscal and economic elements to robust social protection schemes. By considering Family Farming government expenditure budget, the slowing and stalled economic growth, and political and fiscal policy developments. We discuss Brazil's high-level government budgetary interventions, the governance and institutional contexts affecting food security as indicators of how aggressive budgetary and institutional measures have negatively impacted the nation's social protection policy environment, resilience, and sustainable development perspectives.</p>

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document