Dataset Information

Diagnosing the performance of food systems to increase accountability toward healthy diets and environmental sustainability.

ABSTRACT: To reorient food systems to ensure they deliver healthy diets that protect against multiple forms of malnutrition and diet-related disease and safeguard the environment, ecosystems, and natural resources, there is a need for better governance and accountability. However, decision-makers are often in the dark on how to navigate their food systems to achieve these multiple outcomes. Even where there is sufficient data to describe various elements, drivers, and outcomes of food systems, there is a lack of tools to assess how food systems are performing. This paper presents a diagnostic methodology for 39 indicators representing food supply, food environments, nutrition outcomes, and environmental outcomes that offer cutoffs to assess performance of national food systems. For each indicator, thresholds are presented for unlikely, potential, or likely challenge areas. This information can be used to generate actions and decisions on where and how to intervene in food systems to improve human and planetary health. A global assessment and two country case studies-Greece and Tanzania-illustrate how the diagnostics could spur decision options available to countries.

SUBMITTER: Herforth A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9337654 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Diagnosing the performance of food systems to increase accountability toward healthy diets and environmental sustainability.

Herforth Anna A Bellows Alexandra L AL Marshall Quinn Q McLaren Rebecca R Beal Ty T Nordhagen Stella S Remans Roseline R Estrada Carmona Natalia N Fanzo Jessica J

PloS one 20220729 7

To reorient food systems to ensure they deliver healthy diets that protect against multiple forms of malnutrition and diet-related disease and safeguard the environment, ecosystems, and natural resources, there is a need for better governance and accountability. However, decision-makers are often in the dark on how to navigate their food systems to achieve these multiple outcomes. Even where there is sufficient data to describe various elements, drivers, and outcomes of food systems, there is a ...[more]

PMID: 35905046

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundStudies investigating diet-related environmental impacts have rarely considered the production method of the foods consumed. The objective of the present study, based on the NutriNet-Santé cohort, was to investigate the relationship between a provegetarian score and diet-related environmental impacts. We also evaluated potential effect modifications on the association between a provegetarian score and the environmental impacts of organic food consumption.MethodsFood intake and organic food consumption ratios were obtained from 34,442 French adults using a food frequency questionnaire, which included information on organic food consumption for each group. To characterize the overall structure of the diets, a provegetarian score was used to identify preferences for plant-based products as opposed to animal-based products. Moreover, three environmental indicators were used to assess diet-related environmental impacts: greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, cumulative energy demand (CED), and land occupation. Environmental impacts were assessed using production life cycle assessment (LCA) at the farm level. Associations between provegetarian score quintiles, the level of organic food consumption, and environmental indicators were analyzed using ANCOVAs adjusted for energy, sex, and age.ResultsParticipants with diets rich in plant-based foods (fifth quintile) were more likely to be older urban dwellers, to hold a higher degree in education, and to be characterized by an overall healthier lifestyle and diet. A higher provegetarian score was associated with lower environmental impacts (GHG emissionsQ5vsQ1 = 838/1,664 kg CO2eq/year, -49.6%, P < 0.0001; CEDQ5vsQ1 = 4,853/6,775 MJ/year, -26.9%, P < 0.0001; land occupationQ5vsQ1 = 2,420/4,138 m2/year, -41.5%, P < 0.0001). Organic food consumption was also an important modulator of the relationship between provegetarian dietary patterns and environmental impacts but only among participants with diets rich in plant-based products.ConclusionFuture field studies should endeavor to integrate all the components of a sustainable diet, i.e., both diet composition and production methods.

Project description:This study investigated consumer knowledge and attitude toward environmental sustainability, grain-free diets (GFDs), and the influence of on-site environmental sustainability education on pet owner diet choices. A two-part questionnaire was designed, bracketing an educational brochure on environmental sustainability and GFDs. The study consisted of an informational brochure and two questionnaire sections, Q1 and Q2. Preliminary information regarding current diets, diet choice(s), views of environmental sustainability, the definition of GFDs, and the likelihood of feeding GFDs were gathered via Q1. Participants then read a factual brochure regarding pet food trends and environmental sustainability. After reading the brochure, participants completed Q2. Pet ownership of the survey population indicated 12/78 cared exclusively for at least one cat, 48/78 cared exclusively for at least one dog, and 18 cared exclusively for at least one dog and one cat. The majority (70/78) of survey responders fed a dry commercial product, 25/78 fed a canned commercial product, and 1/78 fed a commercial raw product. Prior to reading the brochure, 44.9% of participants were able to partially identify a GFD, 47.4% partially defined environmental sustainability, and 19.2% reported feeding a GFD. After reading the brochure, 67.6% of participants were able to identify a more environmentally sustainable diet vs. 55.9% prior to reading the brochure. A paired T-test demonstrated that after reading the brochure, people were significantly less likely to feed a GFD (p < 0.001). When participants already feeding a GFD were isolated, they demonstrated a higher likelihood to feed a GFD both before and after reading the pamphlet than the remaining population; however, the likelihood decreased from 8.4 ± 2.7 to 7.8 ± 2.7. The informational brochure was effective; participants were less likely to feed a GFD after reading the brochure. Although participants considered environmental sustainability important, factors independent of environmental sustainability influenced the likelihood of diet change. Participants already feeding a GFD also ranked environmental sustainability highly but were less likely to consider changing their pet's diet. These preliminary findings identify a need for public education regarding pet food choices that can have environmental consequences.

Dataset Information

Diagnosing the performance of food systems to increase accountability toward healthy diets and environmental sustainability.

Publications

Diagnosing the performance of food systems to increase accountability toward healthy diets and environmental sustainability.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets