“Consumers are adapting their attitudes about food to a changing climate and aiming for more sustainable eating habits, research in Tetra Pak’s 2023 Index suggests.” The research also indicates that consumers are gravitating towards healthier products, a trend that is hampered little by economic concerns. “According to Tetra Pak’s Index 2023, based on research conductedContinue reading “More than half of consumers are ‘climatarians’ and show concern for environment, new market research suggests”
Category Archives: Agriculture Land Use
Plant-based food alternatives could support a shift to global sustainability: New research
According to a new study published in the journal Nature Communications, “Replacing 50% of meat and milk products with plant-based alternatives by 2050 can reduce agriculture and land use related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 31% and halt the degradation of forest and natural land.” (Kozicka et al., 2023) The authors note that, “additional climate andContinue reading “Plant-based food alternatives could support a shift to global sustainability: New research”
Having big meat-eaters reduce their meat consumption is the equivalent of taking 8 million cars off the road: Study
A recent study published in the journal Nature Food found that big meat-eaters in the United Kingdom (UK) reducing their meat consumption would be the equivalent of taking 8 million cars off the road. Prof Scarborough, who is part of the Livestock Environment And People (LEAP) project surveyed 55,000 people who were divided into bigContinue reading “Having big meat-eaters reduce their meat consumption is the equivalent of taking 8 million cars off the road: Study”
Agroecology as a transformative approach to tackle climatic, food, and ecosystem crises: New review
A new review paper published in the journal Innovations in Environmental Sustainability outlines how agroecology can be used to tackle climatic, food, and ecosystem crises. “Agroecology has been proposed as a transformative approach to climate change mitigation and adaptation that reduces climate risk while supporting long-term productivity and resilience of food systems by applying ecologicalContinue reading “Agroecology as a transformative approach to tackle climatic, food, and ecosystem crises: New review”
Mapping the conflict between agriculture and biodiversity: New research
“Demand for food products, often from international trade, has brought agricultural land use into direct competition with biodiversity. Where these potential conflicts occur, and which consumers are responsible is poorly understood.” In a recent study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) (2023), by combining conservation priority maps (CP) withContinue reading “Mapping the conflict between agriculture and biodiversity: New research”
Healthy food and health: The role of pollinators and urban gardening
In a recent study by Smith et al. (2022) published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, researchers “calculated that 3%–5% of fruit, vegetable, and nut production is lost due to inadequate pollination, leading to an estimated 427,000 (95% uncertainty interval: 86,000, 691,000) excess deaths annually from lost healthy food consumption and associated diseases. Modeled impactsContinue reading “Healthy food and health: The role of pollinators and urban gardening”
Plant-based animal product alternatives are healthier and more environmentally sustainable than animal products: Review
A new paper published in the journal Future Foods concludes that plant-based meat and dairy alternatives offer a healthier and more environmentally sustainable solution when compared with the animal products they are designed to replace (University of Bath, 2022). The review analyzed the results of 43 studies. In completing the review, the author evaluated theContinue reading “Plant-based animal product alternatives are healthier and more environmentally sustainable than animal products: Review”
Ultra-processed foods should be central to global food systems dialogue and action on biodiversity
A recent commentary article published BMJ Global Health (2022) points out that, “The global industrial food system and consequent rapid rise of ultra-processed foods is severely impairing biodiversity. Yet although the impacts of existing land use and food production practices on biodiversity have received much attention, the role of ultra-processed foods has been largely ignored.Continue reading “Ultra-processed foods should be central to global food systems dialogue and action on biodiversity“
Scientists offer blueprint for sustainable redesign of food systems
A new perspective article published in the journal Nature Sustainability describes food systems designed not by the logic of growth such as efficiency and extraction, but by principles of sufficiency, regeneration, distribution, commons, and care. It argues that food systems can instead be the foundation of healthy communities, ecologies, and economies. “For this agenda-setting article,Continue reading “Scientists offer blueprint for sustainable redesign of food systems”
Which seafood causes the least damage to the planet? It’s complicated.
In a paper published in the journal Nature, Dr. Jessica Gephart and her colleagues looked at five environmental pressures for aquatic foods including: greenhouse gas emissions, nitrogen runoff, phosphorus runoff, freshwater use, and agricultural land use. The scientists examined data from 1,690 farms and 1,000 fishery records worldwide. Here is a summary of their findings,Continue reading “Which seafood causes the least damage to the planet? It’s complicated.”
Sustainable RDN 