Sustainable diet
Sustainable diets are "dietary patterns that promote all dimensions of individuals’ health and wellbeing; have low environmental pressure and impact; are accessible, affordable, safe and equitable; and are culturally acceptable".
[1] Sustainable diets attempt to address nutrient deficiencies (e.g., undernourishment) and excesses (e.g., obesity), while accounting for ecological phenomena such as climate change, loss of biodiversity and land degradation.
At an individual level, most sustainable diets promote reduced consumption of meat and dairy products due to the particularly adverse environmental impact of these industries.
[8] They describe sustainable diets as "food choices that support life and health within natural system limits into the foreseeable future.
[10] The FAO further delineated the constructs of practicing a sustainable diet to be the achievement of optimal growth and development, support for physical, mental, and functional wellbeing, prevention of malnutrition, and promotion of biodiversity and planetary health.
The most sustainable approach is a primarily plant-based diet, relying heavily on whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables.
A key aspect of sociocultural sustainability is managing and identifying product impacts on cultures, businesses, and employees.
[16] Choosing plant-based proteins promotes health, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and helps slow the rate of climate change.
Research shows these protein sources are low in saturated fats and high in antioxidants, which may help to prevent cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
[19][20] A 2020 study found that the climate change mitigation effects of shifting worldwide food production and consumption to plant-based diets, which are mainly composed of foods that require only a small fraction of the land and CO2 emissions required for meat and dairy, could offset CO2 emissions significantly.
Data showed this difference is equal to the past 9 to 16 years of fossil fuel emissions in nations that they grouped into 4 types.
A longitudinal study, taking place over the span of these four years, attributed perceived environmental impact to approximately 41% of individuals' explanatory reasoning for consuming less meat.
When individuals were asked to comment on whether or not meat consumption is linked to climate change, the number of people who responded positively increased from previous records.
All of these factors are associated with a reduction in meat consumption and increase in willingness to follow a plant based diet, with the exception of sociability.
Individuals struggle to alter pre-established eating rituals in social settings out of concern for their public perception.
[24] However, because a positive environmental impact also aligns with an individual's health goals, expenses, and concerns, they are generally more likely to seek it out.
[23] Emotion-focused coping may provide one explanation for the increase in environmental awareness that eating less meat supports sustainability goals.
[25] In June 2023, the European Commission's Scientific Advice Mechanism concluded in a review of all available scientific evidence that awareness and rational reflection are only a small part of consumers' decision-making process, and therefore that policies to promote sustainable diets should be applied across the whole food system, thus "unburdening the consumer".
[32] They are individuals who partake in gastronomy, which in simple terms is the practice of choosing, creating, and enjoying high quality food.
Additionally, gourmets generally prefer meat that originates from grazing livestock rather than industrial farming techniques where animals are fed unnatural diets.
[4] In July 2022, the European Commission asked its Scientific Advice Mechanism to deliver evidence-based recommendations for new policies to promote sustainable diets in Europe.
The advice, delivered in June 2023,[26] concluded that: Until now, the main policy focus in the EU has been on providing consumers with more information.
In fact, there are groups of individuals who place the highest value on the taste and quality of their food over other aspects and have consequently created an incredibly sustainable diet.
[27][28] In June 2023, the European Commission's Scientific Advice Mechanism published a detailed evidence review report which examined the barriers preventing consumers from adopting more sustainable and healthy diets in four respects: The science advisors identified many such barriers,[26] and grouped them broadly into: There is a current lack of awareness between meat consumption and climate change such that many individuals do not perceive there to be a link between the two concepts.
[36] People are reluctant to engage with the idea that their personal meat consumption has any role in the global context of climate change.
[36] With this belief being widely held, it may not be surprising that research has also shown reluctance and resistance to the decrease of meat consumption among individuals.
[35] Potentially, even greater gains in emission reduction could occur if individuals change their diet with the purpose of sustainability.
Research conducted in 2014 by Meier, Christen, Semier, Jahreis, Voget-Kleschin, Schrode, and Artmann analyzed the country's current lack of sustainable diets and how land usage can be adjusted to balance German-made with imported goods.
The research also showed the potential for a reversal in the import/export pattern of the country such that Germany may export more goods than they currently import.
[38] In June 2023, the Scientific Advice Mechanism to the European Commission recommended that countries should "generalise the inclusion of sustainability criteria in national dietary guidelines".
