Sustainable Diets ─ How Ecological Nutrition Can Transform Consumption and the Food System

Food has a considerable environmental impact, but the challenge exists to feed huge populations healthily, equitably and affordably in ways which maintain the ecosystem on which humanity depends. This book evaluates what sustainability means in terms of diet, engaging nutrition science and policy-makers on the issue of a sustainable diet for the future.

Three simultaneous approaches to nutrition are required if nutrition is to engage with the challenge of sustainable diets and contribute to policy: biological; social; and environmental. The authors review issues of diet in relation to: nutrition and the environment, for example greenhouse gases, biodiversity, land and water; public health, including obesity, non-communicable diseases and food safety; social and ethical issues, such as human and animal welfare; quality, including taste and acceptability; economics, for example food security, food resilience, jobs and decent working conditions; and governance and policy, including transparency, the evidence-base, and democratic accountability.

The book also discusses existing activity on sustainable diets at government, civil society and industry levels and describes policy-thinking at an international, regional, national, sub-national and local level of government. It identifies policy gaps and research needs, in particular the urgency to reformulate current population dietary guidelines into sustainable dietary guidelines for ecological public health.

Pamela Mason is qualified in pharmacy and nutrition and has held a variety of editorial, writing and training roles with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Nutrition Society, various universities, centres for postgraduate and professional education and industry.?She is?chair of the Department of Health Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances, an on-line tutor for Aberdeen University (UK)?in pharmaceutical public health and a portfolio assessor for the UK Association for Nutrition.?

Tim Lang is Professor of Food Policy at City University, London, UK. He has been an advisor on many food issues to the UK government and is the co-author of several influential books on food policy.