Promote the well-being of you and your family

What’s the problem?

Sustainability is not just about being ‘green’. The social and economic aspects of sustainable development are just as important as the environmental issues so healthy and nutritious food also has a part to play in securing a better food for everyone.

Food and health

No-one can have failed to notice that we are facing an obesity crisis. Around a quarter of adults are already not just overweight, but obese,[1] and the recent Government-sponsored Foresight report[2] noted that, if nothing is done, the proportion of obese people will rise shockingly to more than half of all adults by 2050, with all the associated individual ill-health and social costs (currently estimated to rise to £45 billion). The same fatty, sugary, salty diet that contributes to obesity also leads to a long and growing list of deadly or debilitating disease such as coronary heart disease, stroke, several types of cancer, and number of digestive disorders and oral health problems. Importantly, the Foresight project reported that the solutions to this health crisis are not just about individual choice – and Sustain is now working with many of its members to change the environment in which people make their choices. That means better availability of fresh, healthy and sustainable food, and more support for organisations, businesses and communities wishing to promote healthier eating.

What can we do about it?

The Food Standards Agency’s annual consumer surveys[3] continue to show that people are concerned about the nutritional quality and safety of their food, with some 60% saying they would like more information about the food they buy. Growing numbers of people are aware they should be eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, and also eating less salt, fat and sugar. At the same time, many people have to avoid certain foods or substances due to food allergy or intolerance, while others are keen to avoid additives that have been linked to safety concerns or to hyperactivity in children.

Pie Chart Major manufacturers, retailers and caterers continue to respond to these trends by promoting healthier products, changing recipes to remove unhealthy ingredients and additives, and using clearer labelling. The ‘traffic light’ system[4] developed by the Food Standards Agency, for example, helps customers identify which products contain high or low amounts of fat, saturated fat, salt, sugar and calories – a scheme widely supported by health and consumer groups.

Sustain does not specialise in giving information to consumers about personal health and food choices, but there are some general principles – and plenty more information is available on the Food Standards Agency website http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/. The encouraging thing to remember is that healthier food choices in favour of plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and wholegrains and less red meat and processed foods can also be much better for the environment.

Some general guideline principles for healthier eating are as follows:

Base your main meals on generous portions of wholegrains, other starchy foods and vegetables, and your desserts on lashings of fruit. These ingredients are varied, delicious and good value. Try to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day – and if these can also be seasonal – so much the better for sustainability!
Don’t spoil your food by overdoing it with oils and fats. Gram for gram, they have around twice the calories of other foods, so use fats and oils sparingly, both in cooking and in dressings. Cut back on salt too.
When you do use oils, fat, butter, margarine or vegetable fat spread, choose options that are healthier. Liquid oils are generally healthier than solid fats. Avoid margarines or vegetable fats with hydrogenated ingredients (sometimes called trans fats - the least healthy of all[5]) and try to choose oils and fats that are high in polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat, and low in saturated fat. Butter is a natural ingredient, but it is high in saturated fat, and sometimes high in salt, so use it sparingly.
Try to resist too much snacking, and choose healthier low-fat and low-sugar options when you do. And don’t fall for super-size snacks – it’s just a marketing ploy and piles on the calories!
Help train children to appreciate fresh, tasty food by offering smaller portions of normal dishes for children. There is no need for children’s food to be – as it often is – covered in breadcrumbs and fried, presented in animal shapes, brightly (and artificially) coloured, and over-salted (or sickly sweet, if a dessert). Children will appreciate being treated like grown-ups if they don’t come to expect food to be made especially for them,

For further information

Plenty of information about healthy eating for consumers is available on the Food Standards Agency website http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/.
Information, guidance and tips galore are available on the government salt campaign site http://www.salt.gov.uk/.
The Food Magazine: http://www.foodcomm.org.uk/ regularly exposes excessive use of additives in products, alongside misleading labelling and marketing. See also their new additives site: http://www.actiononadditives.com/ – which focuses on artificial colours and preservatives proven to have a detrimental effect on young children’s mood and behaviour.

[1] Department of Health. Health Survey for England 2003. 2004, The Stationery Office: London.
[2] Trends and Drivers of Obesity: A literature review for the Foresight project on obesity. 2007. http://www.foresight.gov.uk/Obesity/Outputs/Literature_Review/Literature_review.htm
[3] Food Standards Agency page viewed on 11 October 2007 http://www.food.gov.uk/science/surveys/foodsafety-nutrition-diet/
[4] Food Standards Agency page viewed on 11 October 2007 http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/foodlabels/trafficlights/
[5] See information on the Food Standards Agency website http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/nutritionessentials/fatssugarssalt/fats/