Formulating policy activities to promote healthy and sustainable diets

Abstract

Objective: To develop a policy formulation tool for strategically informing food and nutrition policy activities to promote healthy and sustainable diets (HSD). Design: A policy formulation tool consisting of two complementary components was developed. First, a conceptual framework of the environment-public health nutrition relationship was constructed to characterise and conceptualise the food system problem. Second, an 'Orders of Food Systems Change' schema drawing on systems dynamics thinking was developed to identify, assess and propose policy options to redesign food systems. Setting: Food and nutrition policy activities to promote HSD have been politicised, fragmented and lacking a coherent conceptual and strategic focus to tackle complex food system challenges. Results: The tool's conceptual framework component comprises three integrated dimensions: (i) a structure built around the environment and public health nutrition relationship that is mediated via the food system; (ii) internal mechanisms that operate through system dynamics; and (iii) external interactions that frame its nature and a scope within ecological parameters. The accompanying schema is structured around three orders of change distinguished by contrasting ideological perspectives on the type and extent of change needed to 'solve' the HSD problem. Conclusions: The conceptual framework's systems analysis of the environmentpublic health nutrition relationship sets out the food system challenges for HSD. The schema helps account for political realities in policy making and is a key link to operationalise the framework's concepts to actions aimed at redesigning food systems. In combination they provide a policy formulation tool to strategically inform policy activities to redesign food systems and promote HSD.

Squandering Australia’s food security—The environmental and economic costs of our unhealthy diet and the policy Path We’re On

“…Our scenario modelling results suggest that agriculture will continue to be a substantial contributor to increased GHG emissions and environmental resource use. Results also suggest that Australia may become increasingly reliant on imported fruit, nuts, fish and dairy, which in the event of global food system 'shocks' has the potential to undermine future food security and nutrition (Ericksen, 2008;Lawrence et al, 2015). These results support criticisms that Australia's national food and agricultural policies have focused on the economic value of food production and trade at the expense of public health and environmental sustainably Lawrence et al, 2012;Ridgway et al, 2015).…”

The Role of Cultural Factors in Sustainable Food Consumption—An Investigation of the Consumption Habits among International Students in Hungary

“…Sustainable eating is therefore essential not only in terms of food and nutrient safety [20,21], but also on the social level [22,23]. That is why numerous recommendations and studies advise to policy makers in food security and sustainability regulation to integrate direct, indirect or voluntary tools into the social framework for sustainable food consumption [20,[24][25][26][27][28][29][30].…”

Sustainable eating: Opportunities for nutrition professionals

“…Lawrence et al . () showed how important food and nutrition policy activities are to the redesign of the food system needed to promote healthy and sustainable diets. Food policies need to account for how people – citizens, communities – are affected by the food system problems we are seeking to address (Hawkes ).…”

“…Advice from dietitians and nutritionists should be based on government policies in the area, and also the policies of the communities they are working with (BDA 2013(BDA , 2017AfN 2018a,b). Lawrence et al (2015) showed how important food and nutrition policy activities are to the redesign of the food system needed to promote healthy and sustainable diets. Food policies need to account for how peoplecitizens, communitiesare affected by the food system problems we are seeking to address (Hawkes 2018).…”