September 29: International Day of Awareness of Food Loss Awareness and Waste

The 2023 report of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (FAO et al., 2023) highlights that up to 783 million people across the globe faced hunger in 2022, while more than 3.1 billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2021. While hunger and food security continue, an estimatedContinue reading “September 29: International Day of Awareness of Food Loss Awareness and Waste”

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”

Economic impact of overweight and obesity to surpass $4 trillion by 2035: World Obesity Federation

Today, March 4, 2023 is World Obesity Day. The theme for this year’s World Obesity Day is ‘Changing Perspectives: Let’s Talk About Obesity.’ The World Obesity Atlas 2023, published by World Obesity Federation, predicts that the global economic impact of overweight and obesity will reach $4.32 trillion annually by 2035 if prevention and treatment measures do notContinue reading “Economic impact of overweight and obesity to surpass $4 trillion by 2035: World Obesity Federation”

A recipe for change: The Cookbook In Support of The United Nations – For People and Planet

“Earlene Cruz is on a mission to make people hungry for climate action every time they sit down to eat. Cruz is the Founder and Executive Director of Kitchen Connection Alliance, an entity that seeks to improve systems for growing and distributing food worldwide. She was at COP27 last November to launch the Cookbook in SupportContinue reading “A recipe for change: The Cookbook In Support of The United Nations – For People and Planet”

Climate impact labels could help promote sustainable food choices: New study

Labels placed on fast food items highlighting their high climate impact may sway consumers to make more sustainable food choices, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) (Wolfson et al., 2022).  “Food accounts for around one-third of all human-made greenhouse gas emissions, with animal-based foods such as red meatContinue reading “Climate impact labels could help promote sustainable food choices: New study”

Healthier foods are better for the planet: new study

An analysis of 57,000 foods published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) “reveals which [foods] have the best and worst environmental impacts. A team of researchers used an algorithm to estimate how much of each ingredient was in thousands of products sold in major UK supermarket chains. The scientists then gave foodContinue reading “Healthier foods are better for the planet: new study”

Declining greenhouse gas emissions in the US diet (2003–2018): Drivers and demographic trends: new research

New research published in the Journal of Cleaner Production reported that, “From 2003 to 2018, the mean GHG emissions associated with the US diet fell by more than 35%, from 4.02 kg CO2e per day per capita, to 2.45 kg CO2e per day per capita, despite average caloric intake remaining relatively stable over the same period. AverageContinue reading Declining greenhouse gas emissions in the US diet (2003–2018): Drivers and demographic trends: new research

Carbon footprint labels to steer climate-friendly buying

“Nutritional breakdowns, ethical trade branding, recycling information – and now estimates of a product’s climate impact. Consumers across the globe are starting to see a new kind of information on goods packaging, indicating the level of planet-heating gases [greenhouse gases] emitted by making the items they are buying. This fresh wave of efforts at “carbonContinue reading “Carbon footprint labels to steer climate-friendly buying”

Diets high in fiber associated with less antibiotic resistance in gut bacteria: new research

According to new research published in the journal mBIO (2022), “Healthy adults who eat a diverse diet with at least 8-10 grams of soluble fiber a day have fewer antibiotic-resistant microbes in their guts…” Soluble fiber is found in foods such as oats, barley, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds (e.g., flaxseed) and some fruits and vegetablesContinue reading “Diets high in fiber associated with less antibiotic resistance in gut bacteria: new research”

Meat consumption must fall by at least 75 percent: study

“If our planet Earth is to continue feeding us in the future, rich countries must significantly reduce their meat consumption – ideally by at least 75 percent.” This is the conclusion of a new review published by researchers at the University of Bonn. “The study reviews the current state of research on various aspects ofContinue reading “Meat consumption must fall by at least 75 percent: study”