However, on January 17, 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission (a group of 37 scientists from 16 countries working in the fields of human health, nutrition, economics, agriculture, political sciences, and environmental sustainability) assessed existing evidence and developed the world’s first  scientific targets that define a “safe operating space” for food systems.

The report calls for global cooperation and commitment to shift diets toward healthy, largely plant-based patterns; make large reductions in food loss and waste; and implement significant sustainability improvements in food production practices.

For a closer look at the Commission’s report, visit:

• Food system transformation needed for human and planetary health [Harvard Chan News]
• Sustainability
• Plate and the Planet

Dr. Walter Willett, Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition and Chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, issued an immediate response stating:

Sadly, Secretaries Vilsack and Burwell have invoked censorship on a grand scale, again demonstrating the power of the meat industry to distort national policies and priorities. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee wisely considered the environmental impacts of food production because they were asked to make recommendations that would support both health and food security. Neither health nor food security are possible without a sustainable food supply. Because climate change is accelerating and is already having a multitude of adverse effects, and the footprint of our current food system is massive, we urgently need to create a national food supply that is both healthy and sustainable. For the sake of future generations, we cannot ignore this.

The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) advisory report submitted in February 2015 included – for the first time – a focus on sustainability, describing it as an essential element of food security:

“An important reason for addressing sustainable diets, a new area for the DGAC, is to have alignment and consistency in dietary guidance that promotes both health and sustainability. This also recognizes the significant impact of food and beverages on environmental outcomes, from farm to plate to waste disposal, and, therefore, the need for dietary guidance to include the wider issue of sustainability. Addressing this complex challenge is essential to ensure a healthy food supply will be available for future generations.” (1)

The advisory report provides the Federal government with a foundation for developing the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, but the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) ultimately decide whether and how to utilize the report’s information when drafting national nutrition policies. The 2015 Dietary Guidelines are expected to be published later this year.

Further reading

New Dietary Guidelines Will Not Include Sustainability Goal (NPR)

The new focus on sustainability: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans and for our planet

References

1. The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (Febuary 2015). Part D. Chapter 5: Food Sustainability and Safety. In Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Retrieved from http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015-scientific-report/PDFs/10-Part-D-Chapter-5.pdf.

Consider that, for example, livestock production – which includes meat, milk and eggs – contributes
40 percent of global agricultural gross domestic product, and uses one-third of the world’s fresh water (1). As one article put it, “There may be no other single human activity that has a bigger impact on the planet than the raising of livestock.” (1)

It’s clear that what we put on our plates has a big impact on the environment. Eating more healthfully and more sustainably go hand-in-hand, meaning we can develop sustainable eating practices that improve our own health while also benefiting the health of the planet.

5 tips for sustainable eating

1. Prioritize plants

The Healthy Eating Plate suggests filling half your plate with vegetables and fruits as part of an optimal diet, but planning our meals around produce benefits the planet as well. Shifting to a more plant-based way of eating will help reduce freshwater withdrawals and deforestation (2) —a win-win for both our personal health and the environment.

2. Minimize meat

The Healthy Eating Plate already suggests reducing red meat, and now there’s another reason to treat it more as a condiment than a main dish. Meat production is a substantial contributor to greenhouse gas emissions – beef production especially – and the environmental burden deepens, as raising and transporting livestock also requires more food, water, land, and energy than plants (3). To eat for our own health as well as that of the planet, we should consider picking non-meat proteins such as nuts and legumes.

3. Select new seafood

Fish can be a healthy choice if part of an overall healthy dietary style, but some species are at risk of being overfished, or produced in ways that harm the marine environment. If your go-to variety of fish is on the “avoid” list, consider trying some new seafood.

4. Look local

Exploring farmers markets helps you find fresh produce grown locally, but equally important, you can meet the people who produce your food. Such relationships are opportunities for education: you can learn how your food was grown, when it was harvested, and even how to prepare it.

5. Eat mindfully

One of the simplest things you can do to eat more sustainably is to practice mindful eating. Focusing on what you’re eating allows you to reflect on where your food came from and how it is nourishing your body. Additionally, by tuning in to your hunger signals you may learn that you don’t need as much food as you thought, and resize your meals accordingly. By paying more attention to how we eat and thinking about the “bigger picture,” we may alter our food consumption and reduce food waste, as well as become encouraged to seek out more sustainable food sources.

References

1. Walsh, B. The Triple Whopper Environmental Impact of Global Meat Production. Time. December 16, 2013.
2. Rockström J, Willett W, Stordalen GA. An American Plate That Is Palatable for Human and Planetary Health. Huffington Post. March 26, 2015.
3. Barclay E. A Nation of Meat Eaters: See How It All Adds Up. NPR. June 27, 2012.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans were first released in 1980, providing science-based advice to encourage individuals to eat a healthful diet and for the formation of federal food and nutrition and nutrition education programs that help Americans achieve and maintain a healthy weight, promote health, and prevent chronic disease. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) jointly publish the Dietary Guidelines every 5 years.

• As part of this process, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) – a group of nationally recognized experts in the field of nutrition, medicine, and public health – reviews the existing guidelines and additional topics for which new scientific evidence is available, culminating in an Advisory Report.

• The purpose of this report is to inform the Federal government of the latest research on diet, nutrition, and health topics that may warrant revisions or new recommendations. The advisory report provides the Federal government with a foundation for developing national nutrition policy; however, the Advisory Report is not the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

• In February 2015, the DGAC submitted its advisory report to the Department of HHS and the USDA. HHS and USDA will decide how to incorporate the report’s information, and will jointly release the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans later this year.

What does this have to do with sustainability?

The 2015 DGAC advisory report includes – for the first time – a focus on sustainability. Chapter 5 focuses on sustainable diets by examining how dietary guidance and food intake influence our ability to meet and sustain the nutrition needs of the U.S. population both now and in future years. Sustainability is an essential element of food security.

As outlined in the report:

 “An important reason for addressing sustainable diets, a new area for the DGAC, is to have alignment and consistency in dietary guidance that promotes both health and sustainability. This also recognizes the significant impact of food and beverages on environmental outcomes, from farm to plate to waste disposal, and, therefore, the need for dietary guidance to include the wider issue of sustainability. Addressing this complex challenge is essential to ensure a healthy food supply will be available for future generations.” (1)

Key points:

Sustainable diets: A pattern of eating that promotes health and well-being and provides food security for the present population while sustaining human and natural resources for future generations.

The DGAC focuses on two main topic areas related to sustainability:

1) Dietary patterns

“Consistent evidence indicates that, in general, a dietary pattern that is higher in plant-based foods, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and lower in animal-based foods is more health promoting and is associated with lesser environmental impact (greenhouse gas emissions and energy, land, and water use) than is the current average U.S. diet. A diet that is more environmentally sustainable than the average U.S. diet can be achieved without excluding any food groups.”

• The total energy required to produce a diet was also linked with environmental impact – higher energy diets had a larger estimated impact. For example, one calorie from beef or milk requires 40 or 14 calories of fuel, respectively, whereas one calorie from grains requires 2.2 calories of fuel. (2)

Studies show that adherence to a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern— compared to a typical American dietary pattern characterized by high consumption of red meat and dairy—reduced the environmental footprint, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions, improved agricultural land use, and lessened energy and water consumption. (3, 4)

2) Seafood

Consuming seafood has established health benefits , including support of optimal neurodevelopment and prevention of cardiovascular disease. (1) Seafood also provides nutrients including protein, selenium, iodine, vitamin D, and choline. However, as fish is increasingly recognized as a healthy choice, growing demand for seafood production poses challenges as certain species are depleted, while many other species are at the limits of sustainable harvesting. Sustainable seafood must be a priority in order to ensure that Americans and the people world over may enjoy the health benefits of fish and seafood for years to come.

• Seafood production is in the midst of rapid expansion to meet growing worldwide demand, but the collapse of some fisheries due to overfishing in past decades raises concerns about the ability to produce safe and affordable seafood to supply the U.S. population and meet current dietary intake recommendations of at least 8 ounces per week. (5, 6)

• Currently, the United States imports approximately 90 percent of its seafood, and approximately half of that is farmed. (7) Expanding the sustainable production of farm-raised seafood has the potential to produce enough seafood to allow the U.S. population to consume levels recommended by the dietary guidelines. (8, 9)

What is the nutritional difference between wild and farmed seafood?

For commonly consumed fish species in the United States, such as bass, cod, trout, and salmon, farmed-raised seafood has as much or more of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA as the same species captured in the wild. In contrast, other farmed species, such as catfish and crawfish, have less than half the EPA and DHA per serving than fish caught in the wild, and these species have lower EPA and DHA regardless of source than do salmon. Farm-raised seafood has higher total fat, which is mainly unsaturated, than seafood caught in the wild. Recommended amounts of EPA and DHA can be obtained by consuming a variety of farm-raised seafood, especially species well-suited for farming, such as salmon and trout.

The DGAC Advisory Report presents an abundance of research showing that dietary patterns that promote health – that adhere to dietary guidelines – also promote sustainability. Chapter 5 underscores the importance of creating federal standards that take into account not only the health of our population, but the health of our planet.

Whether or not the government includes sustainability in the final Dietary Guidelines for Americans due later this year remains to be seen. Nevertheless, the report contains evidence-based recommendations that offer us a road map for how – right now – we can choose foods that benefit not only our own health, but that of our environment.

References

1. The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (Febuary 2015). Part D. Chapter 5: Food Sustainability and Safety. In Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Retrieved from http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015-scientific-report/PDFs/10-Part-D-Chapter-5.pdf.
2. Pimentel D, Pimentel M. Sustainability of meat-based and plant-based diets and the environment. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003;78(3 Suppl):660S-3S. PMID: 12936963. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12936963.
3. Saez-Almendros S, Obrador B, Bach-Faig A, Serra-Majem L. Environmental footprints of Mediterranean versus Western dietary patterns: beyond the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet. Environ Health. 2013;12:118. PMID: 24378069. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24378069.
4. van Dooren C, Marinussen M, Blonk H, Aiking H, Vellinga P. Exploring dietary 2031guidelines based on ecological and nutritional values: A comparison of six dietary patterns. Food Policy. 2014;44(0):36-46. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306919213001620.
5. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture Rome,2012. Available from: http://www.fao.org/docrep/016/i2727e/i2727e.pdf.
6. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. 7th ed. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office; December 2010.
7. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Fish Watch: US Seafood Facts [cited 2014 June 14]. Available from: http://www.fishwatch.gov/farmed_seafood/outside_the_us.htm.
8. Bouman AF BA, Overbeek CC, D. P. Bureau, M. Pawlowski,, Gilbert. aPM. Hindcasts and future projections of global inland and coastal nitrogen and phosphorus loads due to finfish aquaculture. Reviews in Fisheries Science. 2013;21(2):112-56.
9. Hall S, Delaporte A, Phillips MJ, Beveridge M, O’Keefe, M. Blue frontiers: Managing the Environmental Costs of Aquaculture. WorldFish Center, 2011.

Some of these players are even partnering up to achieve maximum impact – including The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Realizing the importance of multi-sector collaboration, they joined forces and launched the Menus of Change Initiative in 2012, with the goal of integrating optimal nutrition and public health, for environmental practices within the food service sector and beyond. The vision is to guide food and food service professionals in creating meals that are not only delicious, but also nutritious and healthy, environmentally sustainable as well as socially responsible and ethical.

The first Menus of Change conference launched a year later, in 2013. The principles promoted by Menus of Change encourage vendors to think about menu concepts and general operations, as well as foods and ingredients. Examples include:

1. Reward better agricultural practices
2. Globally inspired, largely plant-based cooking
3. Focus on whole, minimally processed foods
4. Think produce first
5. Choose healthier oils
6. Red meat: Smaller portions, less frequently
7. Reduce added sugar

The Menus of Change Annual Report also provides a dashboard, updated annually, to show food industry progress in important areas including nutrition and sustainability, diet and health, climate change, and animal welfare – and many others.

The dashboard helps businesses evaluate their efforts on critical issues that affect the food service industry.

As institutions such as The Culinary Institute of America and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health partner to promote the principles of sustainable eating, these principles can – and should – be practiced on the individual level as well. For example, decreasing meat consumption is something that industries can address on a large scale, and that consumers can act on each time they visit the grocery store. Starting with small steps, you’ll find there are many opportunities to practice eating well for your own health and the health of the planet.

Sustainability is a complex equation, but it doesn’t need to be overwhelming. Though taking individual action may seem daunting, we can be encouraged by the increasing number of organizations launching initiatives to promote change on a broader level – showing that both big companies and small communities can work toward the same goal of healthy food and a healthy planet.

Are there any misconceptions about food & sustainability issues that you want to clear up? For example, you’ve previously written about how eating local isn’t always a climate-friendly option. Are there any “myths” you hear repeated often, or are there certain issues you feel are being overlooked?

There has definitely been an over-emphasis on certain individual ‘sustainable’ attributes being the answer to all of our problems. ‘Locally grown’ should not be your primary climate-saving strategy without consideration of your overall diet and sourcing. The details matter – a locally-grown tomato can have a large carbon footprint if it’s grown off-season in a heated greenhouse. Similarly, organic agriculture can provide environmental benefits by reducing on-farm pesticide usage and improving the health of soil; it can also reduce pesticide residues on consumed vegetables and fruit. It does not, however, necessarily improve the nutrient density of the food – these methods were not developed as an answer to the nutrient question.

There are lots of examples where we need to focus more attention. The ethics of food production, from animal welfare to workers’ rights, health and compensation, is sometimes omitted from sustainability discussions. The stresses that agriculture puts on water availability and quality are also becoming more significant worldwide.

Is it more expensive to eat healthy, sustainable foods?

It doesn’t have to be. Of course, foods that tout attributes such as locally grown, organic, GMO-free, and fairly traded can be expensive, but many sustainable choices are accessible and affordable. Fresh vegetables can be very affordable and can also be part of a plan to make a healthy and sustainable dinner. The market is moving in the right direction – the cost premiums for some ‘sustainable’ attributes (e.g., organic) have been falling in recent years. Even though it takes more effort to cook unprocessed foods, a move to home-cooked meals can reduce your grocery bill and be more nutritious.

Do you have any strategies for consumers looking to create more sustainable meals? What are some basic first steps we can take?

I’d suggest a few places to start:

• Look for opportunities to educate yourself about the environmental impacts of our food system.
You can start by using one of the increasing number of consumer-friendly tools and apps. For example, the EWG produces an annual Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, as a guide and app. The fruits and vegetables tested with the highest and lowest levels end up on their Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists, respectively. The Dirty Dozen list can be used as a guide for where the benefits of buying organic are more likely to be worth any extra cost.

• Reduce the proportion of your calories derived from animal protein. You don’t need to go vegan to make a difference here. Reduce portion sizes or expand Meatless Mondays to a few more days of your week.

• Educate yourself about seasonality of produce.
Even locally-grown produce can have a significant energy cost and carbon footprint if growers are using heated greenhouses or cold storage to extend the natural growing season. Buy local and in-season when you can.

• Learn more about the sustainability of seafood. In recent decades, seafood consumption and overfishing have depleted many species in fisheries worldwide. Again – an opportunity to learn more and make better decisions. Consult the seafood guides available from National Geographic, the Monterey Aquarium and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), which cover both environmental and health issues.

• Reduce your consumption of processed foods. In general, this is a move toward a healthier diet with a smaller footprint. Again, even small steps toward whole-food, plant-based meals can help.

• Find trusted, evidence-based sources for dietary advice.

HSPH’s Nutrition Source is a good example of advice that is current and based on the weight of scientific evidence.

Can you tell us, in a nutshell, why what we eat matters?

All large industries have the potential to become unsustainable. Our food system is among the largest global industries, employing more than 1 billion people, and it directly affects the land, water, and soil upon which all living things depend. For many of us fortunate enough to have choices in our daily consumption, we can choose options that benefit our health and reduce our collective environmental footprint. There’s no doubt – alongside better public policy and better practices, we will need to shift our consumption in order to mitigate these effects in coming years. This process starts by asking “What’s for dinner?“

← Read Part 1 of the interview

In 2015, our food’s “story” is as important as its taste. And one of the most important parts of that story is sustainability.

Food sustainability is a topic of increasing importance as environmental concerns loom large. But what exactly does “sustainability” mean? Here to explain the relationship between food, the environment, and our health is Dr. Gary Adamkiewicz, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health and Exposure Disparities in the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Adamkiewicz’s research interests include “food and our future” – including how our daily food decisions have personal, local, and global consequences. He also co-instructs the Harvard Extension School course “From Farm to Fork, Why What You Eat Matters.”

To start, can you tell us exactly what “sustainability” means? It’s a large concept, but how exactly would you define it?

I agree – it’s a large concept without a universal definition. The term was born out of a goal to examine the long-term effects of human activities on the planet and ourselves. Natural resources and environmental quality cannot be depleted indefinitely without consequences to the global economy, human health, and ecosystems that support life. The most urgent sustainability issue is climate change, which is linked primarily to our historic and ongoing consumption of fossil fuels. More and more, sustainability has become a specific goal of public policy, corporate strategy, as well as daily life decisions. In practice, these goals are achieved by quantifying the use of non-renewable energy and resources in relation to our activities and consumption, and changing behavior and practices to reduce these impacts.

How sustainable is our current food system?

There are definitely reasons for concern. Our modern global food supply puts pressure on natural systems at local, regional, and global scales. Population growth is certainly a driver of consumption, but the way we grow, transport, and process food is at the heart of the sustainability question. Some of the biggest concerns are the impacts to climate change, water scarcity and quality, air pollution, biodiversity, and soil quality. The arrows point in the other direction as well – our food systems are vulnerable to environmental changes that can be observed worldwide today. You don’t need to look further than the recent droughts in California to see how extreme weather can significantly disrupt agricultural output.

Modern diets also threaten our ability to sustain ourselves – it’s been estimated that more than 14% of the burden of chronic disease in the US is diet-related, which is not unusual among high-income countries, and this does not count the effects of diet mediated by obesity, hypertension, and high levels of blood cholesterol and glucose. Alongside this overconsumption and waste, close to 900 million worldwide go undernourished. This disconnect is alarming.

You look at a lot of “big picture” topics including nutrition, human health, environmental degradation, occupational health, climate change and sustainability. Based on your research into these areas, what are the most important changes we should make when it comes to food decisions – on both a personal and global level? Are there certain foods we should eat more of or avoid, based on the environmental implications?

If you look at the environmental impacts of individual foods, there are some recurring themes. One is the role that livestock plays in contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, environmental damage, water footprints, and land use changes. In fact, a 2013 UN report estimated that globally, the livestock sector is responsible for 14% of all greenhouse gas emissions. By their calculation, this is comparable to the emissions from cars, trucks, buses, and other transport combined. If you couple these concerns with the evidence that a plant-rich and meat-lean diet is best for health, you can logically conclude that a reduction in beef consumption makes sense for you and the planet.

Read Part 2 of the interview →