Across Europe, dietary advice and policy must take sustainability into account, instead of focussing narrowly on human health, according to a landmark report from the European Public Health Association.
There is now irrefutable evidence that apart from fuelling obesity and non-communicable diseases, Europeans' eating habits have adverse impacts on climate change, water use, pollution and biodiversity. But while most European nations have policies in place to tackle obesity and other diet-related diseases, these policies fail to take the environmental impacts of diet into account.
This must change, says the European Public Health Association. Its new report defines sustainable diets as being nutritionally adequate, safe, healthy, affordable and equitable, while having low environmental impact. To achieve them, key steps include increasing the consumption of plant-based diets and decreasing the consumption of animal-origin foods, especially when they are not from sustainable sources (e.g. over-exploited fish species).
The report calls on every country and the European Commission to establish a Sustainable Nutrition Task Force, to formulate and oversee strategic plans for the transition to sustainable diets.
Read Healthy and Sustainable Diets for European Countries here.
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Published Thursday 25 May 2017
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.
