Dietary guidelines around the world must make more effort to include sustainability as well as health considerations, according to a new report from the FAO and the Food Climate Research Network
More than 80 governments – just over a third of all countries in the world – already issue advice to their citizens in the form of food-based dietary guidelines: short, science-based, practical and culturally appropriate messages that guide people on healthy eating.
But only a handful of governments have issued guidelines promoting 'win-win' diets that promote healthy food choices while also addressing climate change.
This is the conclusion of a new study by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Food Climate Research Network (FCRN) at Oxford University.
The Plates, Pyramids, Planet report evaluates government-issued food guidelines from across the globe, looking at whether they make links to environmental sustainability as well as health. At the time the study was conducted, only four countries’ recommendations – Brazil, Germany, Sweden and Qatar – made connections between dietary choices and climate change. Two more – the Netherlands and the United Kingdom – have since taken steps to incorporate some environmental considerations into their food guidelines.
The four countries that do include sustainability all highlight that a largely plant-based diet has advantages for health and for the environment. Sweden provides more detailed advice on which plant-based foods are to be preferred, for example recommending root vegetables over salad greens. Most guidelines that include sustainability talk about the high environmental impact of meat. Brazil’s guidelines emphasise the social and economic aspects of sustainability, advising people to be wary of advertising, for instance, and to avoid ultra-processed foods that are not only bad for health but are seen to undermine traditional food cultures.
The report’s recommendations are that countries with dietary guidelines should begin incorporating sustainability into them, while those countries that do not already have them can develop integrated guidelines from the outset.
Read more about Sustain's campaign work on diets that are good for people and the planet here.
Published Thursday 19 May 2016
Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
