The importance of food systems and the environment for nutrition

Fanzo, Jessica; Bellows, Alexandra L.; Spiker, Marie L.; Thorne‐Lyman, Andrew L.; Bloem, Martin W.

doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqaa313

Cited by 112 publications

(105 citation statements)

References 99 publications

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“…Factors like declining traditional knowledge, opportunity cost in access, displacement of traditional crop species by a few major crops and shifting diets and food cultures have substantially influenced their food systems (16) and led to underutilization of many diverse indigenous food resources (17,18). Nonetheless, several factors have been documented in the scientific literature to promote these food systems such as local accessibility, cost effectiveness, existence of traditional knowledge, sustainable utilization of the natural environment from farming or wild harvesting and socioecological resilience (19)(20)(21)(22).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Traditional Food Environment and Factors Affecting Indigenous Food Consumption in Munda Tribal Community of Jharkhand, India

et al. 2021

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Indigenous food (IF) systems, derived from natural ecosystems are perceived to be sustainable and nutritionally adequate. Mundas, an indigenous tribal community in Jharkhand India, are surrounded by rich agroforestry resources, yet display high levels of malnutrition. Our study explored the food environment of Munda community, different IFs they accessed, levels of utilization of IFs in routine diets, their nutritional attributes and factors influencing IF consumption. A cross-sectional mixed-methods study was conducted in nine villages of Murhu and Torpa blocks in Khunti district, Jharkhand. Using focus group discussions and key informant interviews, we did free-listing of IFs known to the community. This was followed by enumerating preferred and little used/historically consumed IFs, along with reasons. Qualitative enquiries were recorded and transcribed verbatim; data were coded and analyzed using thematic framework approach. The listed IFs were identified through common names and photographs, and verified by ethnobotanist in the team. The nutritive values of identified IFs were searched in literature or nutritional analysis of specific plant based foods were undertaken in an accredited laboratory. The community demonstrated traditional ecological knowledge of several IFs (n = 194), which are accessed from wild, cultivated and built food environments. Taxonomic classification was available for 80% (n = 156) IFs, out of which 60 foods had nutritive values in secondary literature and 42 foods were analyzed in laboratory. Many IFs were rich in micronutrients like calcium, iron, folate, vitamin A and C. Among the listed IFs, only 45% were commonly consumed, while rest were little used/historically consumed. Factors like desirable taste, satiety, perceived nutrition benefits, adaptability to climate variability, traditional practice of food preservation and their cultural importance promoted IF consumption. However, local climatic impacts on agroforestry systems, easy access to foods bought from markets or distributed under government food security schemes, and promotion of hybrid seeds by local agricultural organizations, emerged as potential barriers. Thus, reinforcement of traditional ecological knowledge and informal food literacy, along with promotion of climate resilient attributes of IFs, can contribute to sustainable food systems in Munda community.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Traditional Food Environment and Factors Affecting Indigenous Food Consumption in Munda Tribal Community of Jharkhand, India

et al. 2021

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“…Ideally, food policy changes in times of climate disruption need to be informed by evidence concerning both proximal (e.g., dietary) and distal (e.g., health/environmental) outcomes of food systems ( 23 ). In this diet-modeling study, we thus aimed to develop 4 hypothetical consumption pathways to reach the United Kingdom's 5-a-day target for fruit and vegetable intake on a national scale.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathways to “5-a-day”: modeling the health impacts and environmental footprints of meeting the target for fruit and vegetable intake in the United Kingdom

Colombo

Milner

Scheelbeek

et al. 2021

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

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Background Fruit and vegetable consumption in the United Kingdom is currently well below recommended levels, with a significant associated public health burden. The United Kingdom has committed to reducing its carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, and this transition will require shifts towards plant-based diets. Objective The aim was to quantify the health effects, environmental footprints, and cost associated with 4 different pathways to meeting the United Kingdom's “5-a-day” recommendation for fruit and vegetable consumption. Methods Dietary data based on 18,006 food diaries from 4528 individuals participating in the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (2012/13–2016/17) constituted the baseline diet. Linear programming was used to model the hypothetical adoption of the 5-a-day (400 g) recommendation, which was assessed according to 4 pathways differing in their prioritization of fruits versus vegetables and UK-produced versus imported varieties. Increases in fruit and vegetable consumption were substituted for consumption of sweet snacks and meat, respectively. Changes in life expectancy were assessed using the IOMLIFET life table model. Greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs), blue water footprint (WF), and total diet cost were quantified for each 5-a-day diet. Results Achieving the 5-a-day target in the United Kingdom could increase average life expectancy at birth by 7–8 mo and reduce diet-related GHGEs by 6.1 to 12.2 Mt carbon dioxide equivalents/y; blue WFs would change by −0.14 to +0.07 km3/y. Greater reductions in GHGEs were achieved by prioritizing increased vegetable consumption over fruit, whereas the greatest reduction in WF was obtained by prioritizing vegetable varieties produced in the United Kingdom. All consumption pathways increased diet cost (£0.34–£0.46/d) Conclusions Benefits to both population and environmental health could be expected from consumption pathways that meet the United Kingdom's 5-a-day target for fruit and vegetables. Our analysis identifies cross-sectoral trade-offs and opportunities for national policy to promote fruit and vegetable consumption in the United Kingdom.

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“…Several aspects related to AFB 1 and CC need more attention, based on our literature review; nevertheless, interesting statements can be captured, which can be summarized using the following keywords: chain and multi-actor approach, intersectoral and multidisci-plinary, resilience, human and animal health, global vision. To further summarize, the food system should be considered as a whole [253], taking advantage of smart agriculture [23]. We can learn from each other, both from different steps in the chain and from different geographic areas.…”

Section: Steps Forward and Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicted Aflatoxin B1 Increase in Europe Due to Climate Change: Actions and Reactions at Global Level

Leggieri

Toscano

Battilani

2021

Toxins

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Climate change (CC) is predicted to increase the risk of aflatoxin (AF) contamination in maize, as highlighted by a project supported by EFSA in 2009. We performed a comprehensive literature search using the Scopus search engine to extract peer-reviewed studies citing this study. A total of 224 papers were identified after step I filtering (187 + 37), while step II filtering identified 25 of these papers for quantitative analysis. The unselected papers (199) were categorized as “actions” because they provided a sounding board for the expected impact of CC on AFB1 contamination, without adding new data on the topic. The remaining papers were considered as “reactions” of the scientific community because they went a step further in their data and ideas. Interesting statements taken from the “reactions” could be summarized with the following keywords: Chain and multi-actor approach, intersectoral and multidisciplinary, resilience, human and animal health, and global vision. In addition, fields meriting increased research efforts were summarized as the improvement of predictive modeling; extension to different crops and geographic areas; and the impact of CC on fungi and mycotoxin co-occurrence, both in crops and their value chains, up to consumers.

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The importance of food systems and the environment for nutrition

Cited by 112 publications

References 99 publications

Traditional Food Environment and Factors Affecting Indigenous Food Consumption in Munda Tribal Community of Jharkhand, India

Traditional Food Environment and Factors Affecting Indigenous Food Consumption in Munda Tribal Community of Jharkhand, India

Pathways to “5-a-day”: modeling the health impacts and environmental footprints of meeting the target for fruit and vegetable intake in the United Kingdom

Predicted Aflatoxin B1 Increase in Europe Due to Climate Change: Actions and Reactions at Global Level

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