Health & nutrition

The first aspect of sustainable nutrition is getting the right food and nutrients to all people.

Programs targeting areas where a large proportion of people are undernourished, there is more of an emphasize on delivering calories, protein, and essential vitamins and minerals to prevent disease (e.g. vitamin A, iron).

The World Health Organisation calls on governments and businesses to actively produce food products that are healthier and more nutritious in order to reduce the risk of Non-Communicable Diseases, malnutrition and obesity.

These recommendations include diet changes to reduce the risk of these diseases, such as: 

a 30% reduction in the consumption of salt. 
An increase in the availability, affordability and consumption of fruit and vegetables 
A reduction of saturated fats in food, replacing them with unsaturated fats 
Reducing the overall content of free and added sugars in food and non-alcoholic beverages 
And limiting calorie intake.

Sustainable Nutrition also includes food safety and increasing nutrients that are beneficial for health (fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, clinically proven ingredients etc).

Examples:

Calorie reduction

In overnourished groups, reducing calories of food and beverages can help improve the food environment to make it less likely to contribute to overweight and obesity.

Sodium reduction

Due to its link to heart disease and stroke, excess sodium intake is gaining more attention each year.

Sugar reduction

Added sugar is a contributor to excess weight gain and a target of initiatives and regulations in many countries.

The Environmental Impact of Sugar Reduction.

Quality protein

Protein is especially important for growing children, active agers, people trying to lose weight, and highly active individuals. It can be hard for some of these groups to consume enough high quality protein at the right times throughout the day.

Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains

These food groups are some of the healthiest foods people can consume, but few meet their daily recommendations globally.

Food safety

Healthy food must be safe food, so this aspect of health and nutrition is paramount to all endeavors in sustainable nutrition. It can be a difficult challenge in a food system that emphasizes long travel times and shelf life as well as a focus on ingredients perceived as natural.

Environmental

Food systems account for up to 35% of global GHG emissions, occupy ~40 percent of Earth’s land area, and is the largest driver of biodiversity loss (FAO WHO report on sustainable diets).

The environmental impact of food systems include multiple indicators such as green house gas emissions, water and land usage as well as biodiversity and pollution. A products environmental impact is measured through Life Cycle Assessment is (LCA). LCA covers all stages of a products journey.

Environmental factors in food systems: 

Climate Change – Climate Change refers to a long-term shift in temperatures and weather patterns over a long period of time. This is primarily caused by the emission of Green-house gases, such as carbon emitted when using energy. 

Resource use (water, energy, land) – Food production is one of the biggest users of resources, and is accountable for 31% of all GhG emissions, 85% of all freshwater use and 38% of land use globally) 

Pollution – The food industry is a key cause of many forms of pollution, from land and water pollution due to agricultural chemical run-off, to food waste and GhG emissions.

Deforestation – Agriculture production is a key cause of deforestation, as people clear more land to respond to the rising demand in food products and in animal feed. 

Biodiversity – Biodiversity refers to the quantity and variety of plant and animal species. Due to loss of habitat, pollution, climate change and industrial intensification, biodiversity is currently decreasing. 

Animal welfare – Animal welfare refers to the emotional and physical wellbeing of animals. The food industry is accountable for upholding animal welfare along its supply chains. 

Packaging Waste – Packaging, especially single-use, is a key source of waste and resource use globally. Due to its useful function, the food industry is a key driver of single-use packaging waste.

Initiatives to improve the sustainability impact of food systems that are tied to health and nutrition include:

Food waste

The solutions to food waste are varied and can depend on where in the food system the waste or loss is happening. Reducing waste at production plants, reusing waste when appropriate, or recycling/upcycling waste are some of the targets you might find in different sustainability strategies.

Sustainable protein

There is a global focus on more sustainable protein sources due to the high land use, water use, and GHG production of animal farming. This is primarily seen as a shift toward more plant-based protein sources like legumes and pulses. However, animals have an important role to play in sustainable food systems because they can occupy unfarmable land and act as recyclers of food waste streams. Other emerging areas of consideration include insect protein or cellular agriculture and precision fermentation.

Economic factors in food systems: 

Food waste – 30% of food is wasted globally. This represents a huge loss of economic value, wasted resources and societal loss due to the number of people who struggle to have sufficient and adequate food intake. 
Social impact – Even nowadays, there are many who go hungry, whether in developed or developing countries. Food businesses have the opportunity to have a positive social impact, for example providing food banks or soup kitchens for the homeless, or creating affordable nutritious products.
Fair trade – Food globally is produced by farmers, some crops relying on a significant amount of manual labour. Each supply chain has an opportunity to pay workers fairly.
Human Rights – Protecting workers’ and farmers’ labour rights is essential. There are instances of modern slavery or the illegitimate use of migrant labour in certain value chains that needs to be eradicated.

For those experiencing malnutrition, the economic pressure facing them may be that they cannot afford safe, healthy food and are subsequently forced into either food deprivation or are only able to afford cheaper, less nutritious foods. According to research conducted by the FAO and WHO, “More than 820 million people go to bed hungry every night. In 2018, 1.3 billion people experienced food insecurity at moderate levels, meaning they did not have regular access to nutritious and sufficient food.” (FAO Sustainable Healthy Diet Guiding Principles).

According to the FAO Report, it estimated that 3 billion people globally cannot afford the least-cost form of healthy diets. Moreover, 1.5 billion people cannot afford a nutrient adequate diet. The majority live in Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Micronutrient-rich non-staples (fruits and vegetables, dairy, and protein-rich foods) are the highest-cost food groups per day globally.

One example of this is the concept of food deserts, which are regions of a country in which individuals do not have the option of purchasing nutritious food due to limited income and/or means of transportation. If the closest supermarket that sells fresh produce is 30 km away from where someone lives, but they do not have a car or means of realistically reaching that supermarket, then that food is not available to them. In these situations, families will often end up buying groceries from a local gas station or other market with limited supply of healthy foods. These regions are common in developed countries where food is abundant for most of the population.

“Malnutrition is costly to the health of individuals, their wellbeing and productivity.”, according to Sustainable Healthy Diets Guiding Principles published by the FAO. Achieving a world of Sustainable Nutrition requires social, cultural, environmental, and economic factors to be considered as society works to provide nutritious, reliable, and safe food sources globally.