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Elements of a sustainable diet
11 December 2009
New report from the Sustainable Development Commission finds strong evidence that a diet which benefits the environment is better for health.
A new report published today (Friday 11 December) by the Sustainable Development Commission finds that eating more seasonal produce, cutting fatty and sugary foods and reducing meat and dairy consumption would not only improve health but also reduce the environmental impacts of the food system.
Setting the Table: Advice to Government on priority elements of sustainable diets assesses the potential environmental and health impacts of changing patterns of food consumption. The report finds that changes in consumption which benefit the environment will also improve general health in the UK.
Consuming only fish from sustainable stocks; cutting out bottled water; shopping on foot or over the internet and consuming more wildlife-friendly, organic foods would all contribute towards a more sustainable diet. However, the most significant health and environmental benefits were from reducing meat and dairy; cutting food and drink of low nutritional value – including tea, coffee and alcohol; and reducing food waste.
The Sustainable Development Commission is calling for all food advice generated across Government to incorporate environmental considerations as well as health guidance. It also recommends further research on particular sustainability ‘hotspots’ including meat and dairy, fish, soy and palm oil; and how different methods of production can affect sustainability.
The Scottish Government’s own calculations show that Scottish agriculture alone accounts for up to 25% of all Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions. Emissions from food processing, distribution and preparation are hard to quantify exactly, and are in addition.
SDC Scotland Commissioner Hugh Raven said:
‘Farming in Scotland is very important to our economy and vital in providing a sustainable diet. Agriculture in Scotland has great opportunities in the search for low-carbon, healthy and secure food supplies. Our climate and geography make us particularly well-suited to certain types of production, only some of which we’re currently exploiting. The challenge is to improve our national diet without damaging producers of the type of food in which we currently excel.’
‘A healthy sustainable diet goes to the heart of many of Scotland’s deepest social problems. Production is only one part of that complex equation: availability, affordability and access are equal challenges for many of Scotland’s communities. The good news from this research is that we can improve Scotland’s diet-related health in ways that also help meet our Scottish and international environmental targets.’
Setting the Table: Advice to Government on priority elements of sustainable diets was commissioned by Defra as part of the Food 2030 project.