A sustainable food future Dr Rosemary Stanton OAM nutritionist

a sustainable food future

Dr Rosemary Stanton OAMnutritionist

© Rosemary Stanton 2013

the balanced diet

nutritionnutrition& health& health

environmentenvironmental al

sustainabilitysustainability

tastetaste‘food literacy’‘food literacy’

our ‘industrialised’ food supply

designed mainly for profit (health secondary; equity largely ignored)

highly processed & packaged huge ‘choice’, seasonality ignored high status for animal products loss of biodiversity ignored (may have

implications for food security)


consumption-based growth

grow more process more sell more waste more waist more


nutrition & health

linked with sustainability the more people eat, the greater the costs of

production & waste high consumption, especially of animal foods,

influences greenhouse gas emissions

Edwards P, Roberts I. Population adiposity and climate change. Int J Epidemiol. 2009; 38(4):1137-40


sustainability issues & food

up to 25%

of total greenhouse gas emissions

come from

production and distribution

of what we eat and drink



CO2 equiv (kg/head/yr) - Sweden

meat* 412(47%)dairy products* 116(13%)fish* 47 ( 5%)potatoes 16 ( 2%)other vegetables 89(10%)bread and grains 57 ( 6%)fruit 19 ( 2%)edible fats 36 ( 4%)sweets, juice, soft drinks 83(10%)*65% total

Wallen A, Brandt N, Wennersten R. Does the Swedish consumer’s choice of food influence greenhouse gas emissions? Environmental Science and Policy 7 (2004) 525-535.


CO2 equivalents - Netherlands%

meat & fish 28dairy products 23potatoes, veg, fruit 15sweet beverages 15bread and grains 13oils, fats 3other foods 3

in Garnaut 2008

sustainability issues & food

crises coming for water, oil and phosphorus (in fertilisers)

Australia highly vulnerable ‘business as usual’ no longer valid


follow the food chain

all our recommendations should consider

- use of resources (soil, water, energy)

- fertilisers, especially phosphorus

- pesticides

- animal welfare ?



implications for

- food choices

- skills (shopping, cooking)

- growing food

- waste



go down the food chain?

WHO and others recommend

we bias our diets towards

plant foods

and less processed foods

for health & sustainability


food choices – animal foods

‘less’ need not mean ‘none’ look for minimum quantity of meat look at types - (smaller animals, grass

eating, minimal environmental impact) problems with grain-feeding (40% of

world’s grain fed to animals)


action on fish more is not sustainable choose fish listed as sustainable* appropriate fish farming look for other sources of omega 3s

(research in progress for long chain omega 3s in grains)

*Marine Stewardship Council & Sustainable fish listings

* see http://www.acfonline.org.au


implications for types of food

- packaged ?

- fortified (functional) ?

- stored ?

- affordable ?

- available to all ?

- sustainable ?

- waste


wasteoccurs at all stages of the food chain

– total spent on food = $158 billion/year

– waste 20% (ie >$30 billion/year)

– buy then throw out 4m tonnes edible food/year*, worth at least $8b**, enough to fill 450,000 garbage trucks)***

– food waste in developed countries could feed an extra 3 billion people

* The National Waste Report 2010, Aust Govt. http://www.environment.gov.au

** http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2013/06/05/3774785.htm

*** DoSomething! Research, available at http://dosomething.net.au/



packaging ~ 65% packaging for

food/beverages

useful because it improves shelf life and reduces food waste

a problem because it uses energy resources to produce, and more when added to landfill


packaging - action choose foods with less/no packaging

refill water bottles from tap or tank

re-use packaging

recycle (widely available bins - in schools ?)

push governments to set mandatory rules for container deposits

lobby for recycling costs to be included in product price


processed food - action

use fewer processed products

promote products with less processing (eg rolled oats not popped sugary cereals)

teach cooking skills

get involved in school/community gardens


social global equity

food miles?

local foods where possible, but

social global equity needs consideration

– crops such as coffee & chocolate vital to farmers in many countries

– globalisation means we need trade


social global equity

what are the ethics of large agribusinesses owning the patents for seeds ?

GM crops ?

what about biodiversity ?


new emphasis needed

question: is it ethical to use resources to produce so many

- animal foods

- modified foods

- ‘functional’ foods

for overfed people while others starve

fuel or food?ethanol-based fuels 4.4 hectares ethanol for 1 car for 1

year, or feeds 7 people for 1 year

corn used for ethanol in the US would feed >100 million people

30-70% more energy is needed to produce ethanol than it contributes

source: Professor David Pimental, Cornell University


techno fix

band-aids? assume technology can fix problems

(functional foods?) ignore long-term impacts wait for a crisis before acting may ignore societal & environmental

costs (privatise profit, expect society to cover costs)


‘new’ food system buy only what we need sustainable packaging fresh, local/home grown, where possible home cooked rather than take-away new vegetables, grains, nuts, fruit more sustainable farming (inc fish) small portions of sustainable animal foods quench thirst with tap water



‘new’ food system question need for so much ‘choice’

emphasise problems of excess consumption (health & environmental)

prices for junk foods, through specific taxes

collection & recycling systems for (domestic & commercial) waste, subsidies for composting (domestic & commercial)


food choices - action

change expectations through education, including waste social marketing campaigns involvement in food systems (urban food,

school kitchen gardens, cooking for adults)

great opportunities more attention to soil health carbon footprint labelling new ways to reduce reliance on water,

energy, phosphate fertilisers grow foods with higher nutrient content greater biodiversity (migrant involvement) sustainable aquaculture



what we eat

social equityhealth

protection of land & water

Documents

A sustainable food future Dr Rosemary Stanton OAM nutritionist