Toward healthy and sustainable diets for the 21st century: Importance of sociocultural and economic considerations

Abstract

Four years after the EAT-Lancet landmark report, worldwide movements call for action to reorient food systems to healthy diets that respect planetary boundaries. Since dietary habits are inherently local and personal, any shift toward healthy and sustainable diets going against this identity will have an uphill road. Therefore, research should address the tension between the local and global nature of the biophysical (health, environment) and social dimensions (culture, economy). Advancing the food system transformation to healthy, sustainable diets transcends the personal control of engaging consumers. The challenge for science is to scale-up, to become more interdisciplinary, and to engage with policymakers and food system actors. This will provide the evidential basis to shift from the current narrative of price, convenience, and taste to one of health, sustainability, and equity. The breaches of planetary boundaries and the environmental and health costs of the food system can no longer be considered externalities. However, conflicting interests and traditions frustrate effective changes in the human-made food system. Public and private stakeholders must embrace social inclusiveness and include the role and accountability of all food system actors from the microlevel to the macrolevel. To achieve this food transformation, a new “social contract,” led by governments, is needed to redefine the economic and regulatory power balance between consumers and (inter)national food system actors.

Sustainability benefits of transitioning from current diets to plant-based alternatives or whole-food diets in Sweden

“…As pathways for more sustainable diets are highly context-specific- depending on the national burden of diseases, environmental challenges related to respective food systems and cultural traditions 17 —such studies would benefit from being situated in specific cultural contexts. Moreover, most previous analyses on PBAs focused on the product level or assessed only subsets of PBAs in dietary scenario studies, primarily meat replacements 18 – 20 with only a few taking a whole dietary perspective to understand the role of PBAs in sustainable diets 21 .…”

Diet strategies for promoting healthy aging and longevity: An epidemiological perspective

“…Reducing consumption of these foods not only improves physical health but also positively impacts mental well-being. Finally, by focusing on both human health and planetary health, public health strategies should encourage the adoption of healthy plant-based foods while minimizing the environmental footprint of dietary choices [164,165]. This requires incorporating environmental sustainability into dietary guidelines for healthy aging as well as broader agricultural and food policies.…”

Beyond circularity! Integration of circularity, efficiency, and sufficiency for nutrient management in agri-food systems

“…This is an effective place to begin with the su ciency concept, because changes in consumption affect the whole value chain. Future research should investigate how shifts in diets could be implemented, going beyond consumer psychology and behaviour studies, to recognize and address the responsibility of actors along the F2F value chain for what they produce, promote and make available to consumers (Biesbroek et al, 2023). In addition, it is important to gather further evidence on the implications and effects of applying su ciency measures across the agri-food system.…”