Food policy & sustainable diets

Question 1

The productionist paradigm

Answer 1

• after WWII and famines, 44 free-countries came together to ensure that food poverty did not become a problem
• the result is that, now, in the 21st century we have too much food security= 1/3 of food is wasted and the top 6 global burden of diseases are to do with diet

Question 2

What happens to food through the supply chain

Answer 2

• the more it is processed the more nutrients are lost

- we are also losing so many plant-based nutrients by feeding animals

Question 3

Global health costs of non-communicable diseases

Answer 3

• Diabetes is cost $500 billion globally in 2010 and is estimated to increase to $750 billion by 2030
• CVD has risen by 22%
• non-communicable diseases are set to cost the world $30 trillion by 2030
• worst hit will be low income countries which cannot afford to treat

Question 4

Food and greenhouse gases: which are the worst offenders?

Answer 4

• 26% of global greenhouse gases come from food
• 58% of which are from animal products
• 50% of these from animal products are from beef and lamb
• vegetarians and vegans have lower greenhouse gases than meat eaters

Question 5

Land use in the UK

Answer 5

• currently only 165,000 ha are used for horticulture- no one wants to work on these
• too much land is being used for animals and food for the animals to eat
• need to encourage more biodiversity: currently 50% of plant kcals come from wheat, maize and rice. We have lost 75-90% of the diversity in crops
• we could eat >5000 different plants, but onyl have around 103

Question 6

Water stress

Answer 6

• this is the principle that food has embedded water: 1 150g burger has 2400L of water embedded due to water needed to crow food for cow, grass for cow
• Asia + Oceana + Northern Africa are under severe water stress
• in the UK we are importing foods from water-stressed countries
• we need to be more efficient with our land use and eat locally
• we are also dealing with soil loss and reduced soil quality too

Question 7

Key points from the sustainable diet from the EAT-LANCET report

Answer 7

• need to be eating more plants and less meat and dairy
• legumes, nuts, pulses and beans should be pushed
• need to divert grains consumption from animal agriculture to humans

Question 8

OneHealth approach to public health

Answer 8

• unified approach looking at environmental + human + animal health
• preventing risks and mitigating crises which would affect any one of these aspects

Question 9

What can we do for more sustainable eating? (6)

Answer 9

1) Appeal to customers: food labels with water/biodiversity. Although in practice very difficult to do
2) Appeal to cultural legacy: ‘eat like your grandmother’. To encourage local eating
3) Leave it to the industry: hope that consumer trends will drive low carbon-supply chains. Issues with greenwashing, these need to be closely audited
4) High-tech solutions: insects, meat-free burgers, genetically-modified crop
5) Wait for a crisis: risky, and we are already here.
6) Multiple actions at multiple levels: global and local action to drive change