Environmental Nutrition: Connecting Health and Nutrition with Environmentally Sustainable Diets PDF
Preview Environmental Nutrition: Connecting Health and Nutrition with Environmentally Sustainable Diets
ENVIRONMENTAL NUTRITION ENVIRONMENTAL NUTRITION Connecting Health and Nutrition with Environmentally Sustainable Diets Edited by JOAN SABATE(cid:1) AcademicPressisanimprintofElsevier 125LondonWall,LondonEC2Y5AS,UnitedKingdom 525BStreet,Suite1650,SanDiego,CA92101,UnitedStates 50HampshireStreet,5thFloor,Cambridge,MA02139,UnitedStates TheBoulevard,LangfordLane,Kidlington,OxfordOX51GB,UnitedKingdom ©2019ElsevierInc.Allrightsreserved. Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyany means,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,oranyinformation storageandretrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher.Details onhowtoseekpermission,furtherinformationaboutthePublisher’spermissionspolicies andourarrangementswithorganizationssuchastheCopyrightClearanceCenterandthe CopyrightLicensingAgency,canbefoundatourwebsite:www.elsevier.com/permissions. Thisbookandtheindividualcontributionscontainedinitareprotectedundercopyright bythePublisher(otherthanasmaybenotedherein). Notices Knowledgeandbestpracticeinthisfieldareconstantlychanging.Asnewresearchand experiencebroadenourunderstanding,changesinresearchmethods,professional practices,ormedicaltreatmentmaybecomenecessary. Practitionersandresearchersmustalwaysrelyontheirownexperienceandknowledge inevaluatingandusinganyinformation,methods,compounds,orexperimentsdescribed herein.Inusingsuchinformationormethodstheyshouldbemindfuloftheirownsafety andthesafetyofothers,includingpartiesforwhomtheyhaveaprofessionalresponsibility. Tothefullestextentofthelaw,neitherthePublishernortheauthors,contributors,or editors,assumeanyliabilityforanyinjuryand/ordamagetopersonsorpropertyasa matterofproductsliability,negligenceorotherwise,orfromanyuseoroperationof anymethods,products,instructions,orideascontainedinthematerialherein. LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData AcatalogrecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheLibraryofCongress BritishLibraryCataloguing-in-PublicationData AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary ISBN978-0-12-811660-9 ForinformationonallAcademicPresspublicationsvisitour websiteathttps://www.elsevier.com/books-and-journals Publisher:CharlotteCockle AcquisitionEditor:MeganBall EditorialProjectManager:MichaelLutz ProductionProjectManager:NileshKumarShah CoverDesigner:VickyPearsonEsser TypesetbySPiGlobal,India Contributors HarryAiking InstituteforEnvironmentalStudies,VUUniversity,Amsterdam,TheNetherlands AndrewBerardy ArizonaStateUniversity,Tempe,AZ,UnitedStates ClaireFitchBowdren TheBetterFoodFoundation,Washington,DC,UnitedStates MichaelClark OxfordMartinSchoolandNuffieldDepartmentofPopulationHealth, UniversityofOxford,Oxford,UnitedKingdom StephenClune S-RAD,SustainabilityResearchandDesign,Canberra,Australia JanDeckers SchoolofMedicalEducation,NewcastleUniversity,Newcastle,UnitedKingdom TrentGrassian SSPSSR,UniversityofKent,Canterbury,UnitedKingdom HelenHarwatt AnimalLawandPolicyFellow,HarvardLawSchool,HarvardUniversity,Cambridge,MA, UnitedStates IranaW.Hawkins WaldenUniversity,Minneapolis,MN,UnitedStates PatrikHenriksson BeijerInstituteofEcologicalEconomicsandStockholmResilienceCentre,Stockholm, Sweden TonyJehi CenterforNutrition,HealthyLifestyleandDiseasePrevention,SchoolofPublicHealth, LomaLindaUniversity,LomaLinda,CA,UnitedStates LinneaI.Laestadius JosephJ.ZilberSchoolofPublicHealth,UniversityofWisconsin,Milwaukee,WI, UnitedStates HeidiLynch PointLomaNazareneUniversity,SanDiego,CA,UnitedStates D.L.Marrin WaterSciences&Insights,Encinitas,CA,USA RobertParker InstitutefortheOceansandFisheries,UniversityofBritishColumbia,Kelowna,BC,Canada xi xii Contributors NathanPelletier UniversityofBritishColumbia—Okanagan,Kelowna,BC,Canada JoanSabat(cid:1)e CenterforNutrition,HealthyLifestyleandDiseasePrevention,SchoolofPublicHealth, LomaLindaUniversity,LomaLinda,CA,UnitedStates RaychelSanto JohnsHopkinsCenterforaLivableFuture,DepartmentofEnvironmentalHealth& Engineering,JohnsHopkinsUniversity,Baltimore,MD,UnitedStates MarcoSpringmann OxfordMartinProgrammeontheFutureofFood,CentreonPopulationApproaches forNon-CommunicableDiseasePrevention,NuffieldDepartmentofPopulationHealth, UniversityofOxford,Oxford,UnitedKingdom ChristopherWharton ArizonaStateUniversity,Phoenix,AZ,UnitedStates ArizonaStateUniversity,Tempe,AZ,UnitedStates JuliaA.Wolfson UniversityofMichigan,SchoolofPublicHealth,AnnArbor,MI,UnitedStates Preface Environmental nutrition emerges from the recognition of the complex interactionsofthefoodsystemswiththehealthoftheplanetandthepopu- lations that share its resources. In this book, we explore the connection betweendiet,environmentalsustainability,andhumanhealth.Currentfood systemsandthefoodchoicesofmanyculturesaremajorcontributorstoour most pressing health and environmental issues. This book addresses the growingenvironmentalandhealthconcernsthatappeartobelinkedtofood production and consumption. The environmental impacts attributed to the production of food are formidable. Agriculture, husbandry and fishing are responsible for about a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, and the use of 70% of all fresh water resources. The over-application of fertilizers, other chemicals, and antibiotics has led to the pollution of surface and ground water, soil, and air,andtoantibiotic-resistantbacteria,soilerosion,andlossofbiodiversity. NourishingagrowingworldpopulationwhilebalancingwhattheEarth can provide and absorb is increasingly recognized as a major global chal- lenge. Yet, the environmental and health problems associated with food productionareforeseentoincrease,sinceinmanyregionsoftheworldfood consumptionisshiftingtowardthe“western”patternofhighanimalprod- uctsandmoreprocessedfoods.Suchfoodpatternscontributetoarangeof costlyhealthproblems,includingoverweightandobesity,diabetes,cardio- vasculardisease,andvariouskindsofcancer.Consequently,thepopulation disease burden is expected to worsen. Yet, changes in land use and global warming are contributing to food insecurity and malnutrition in some regions of the world. By definition, a “sustainable” diet should use the Earth’s natural resources withoutexhausting or destroyingthem,and should bemaintain- able in the long term. This includes staying within the Earth’s biophysical capacity (i.e., what the planet can sustain in terms of resource provision and absorption of wastes). The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations defined sustainable diets as “those diets with low environ- mental impacts which contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations.” Balancing the requirements of food supply, health, and the physical environment—the health-environment-diet trilemma—is of great xiii xiv Preface importance and requires new priorities for agriculture, environmental sci- ences, and public health. There are a range of solution-orientated approaches that can concurrently address the diet-health-environment trilemma.Amongtheseisthedevelopmentoffoodproductionmethodsthat areresourceefficientandhavelessenvironmentalimpact.Drasticallyreduc- ing food losses and waste along the supply chain, and shifting food choices and diet patterns of individuals and populations are also vital. Changingthewayfoodisproducedisnotsufficienttoaddressglobalsus- tainability goals. While current work in this area mainly focuses on supply side measures, this book largely focuses on demand side solutions as this holds a significant potential for change. Addressing food consumption patterns, food losses, and waste, along with agricultural technology improvements,isconsideredcrucialforenablingwide-scaleadoptionofsus- tainablediets.Thisbookpresentsallthreecomponents,butexploresinmore detail consumption patterns and food waste, as these are determined by individuals and communities. This book not only seeks to increase our understanding of the interrelatedness of the issues but also intends to aid in the creation of new solutions. The book has four sections: introduction, challenges, tools, and solutions.Tobeginweprovideanoverviewandexplorehowthecomplex relationshipswithinfoodsystemscanbebetterunderstoodthroughanenvi- ronmental nutrition model (Chapters 1–3). The challenges of inputs, drivers,andoutputsoftheindustrializedfoodsystemaredescribedinChap- ters4–7.Thelifecycleassessmentoffoodsanddietsfollows(Chapters8and 9) and is of importance for research and selecting food choices. Chapters 10 and 11 report the evidence on healthy and sustainable diets. Chapters 12–16addressthesocial,ethical,cultural,andpolicychallengesandsolutions that would be needed to implement a large-scale shift toward sustainable diets. We suggest that these changes would reduce the environmental impacts of food systems, and concomitantly contribute to food availability andfoodsecurity,fosteradequatenutrientprovision,andimprovepopula- tion health outcomes. This book is intended primarily for professionals in food, nutrition, agricultural, and environmental sciences; for researchers, and those inter- estedinfoodpolicy;andforacademicswhoteachgraduatecoursesonthese topics.Nonprofessionalsmayalsofindthisbookofinterestaswehavemade the effort to keep the language relatively nontechnical. Joan Sabat(cid:1)e Acknowledgments The publication of a book is hardly ever the effort of a single person. And this book is no exception. The work and strength of multiple individuals produced this book. The book’s conceptual framework was developed in collegiate conversations with Helen Harwatt and the late Sam Soret. I am verygratefulforthededicationofHelenHarwattwhoidentifiedanumber of potential contributors. Iexpressmysincereappreciationtoallthechapterauthors.Theirexper- tise across scientific disciplines has expanded the content and rigor of this volume. AndIwouldliketothankUjueFresan,AbigailClarke,andJaniceHilton for providing helpful comments and edits to some chapters. Special thanks goes to Laura Moore for administrative support. I gratefully acknowledge the support from the editorial managers at Elsevier assigned to this project. Joan Sabat(cid:1)e xv Prologue Hippocratesmighthavebeenonlypartiallycorrectagesagowhenhealleg- edlysaid,“Letfoodbethymedicineandmedicinebethyfood.”Societyhas entered an era in which food production, processing, and consumption mightnotbethemedicineheenvisioned.Asageneralruletoday,theoppo- sitecouldbeclosertothetruth.What’snotdebatableisthatfoodproduction and processing systems affect human health and the environment. There is an urgent need to understand and work in the space between food, nutrition, health, and the environment. The evidence is abundant and compelling. Thefoodindustrywritlargeisacentralandinfluentialfeatureofmodern life.Roughly50%oftheworld’sassets,50%ofallemployment,and50%of consumer expenditures are related to the food system in some form or fashion. At the same time, one in five deaths worldwide is linked to poor diet. Clearly, we all have a vested interest in ecologically sustainable and nutritionallysoundfoodsystems,whichinturnsupporthouseholdincome, quality of life, and our collective health status. Emerging information on the ecological cost of contemporary food production is consistent and the trends are sobering. Aquatic dead zones inthenorthernGulfofMexicofisheriesarelinkedtoexcessivenutrientfarm runofffromtheMississippiwatershed.Poorlyconceivedaquacultureplaces entireecosystemsatrisk.Greenhousegasemissionsfromdairyandbeefcat- tleoperationsexacerbateclimatechange.Industrialhogfarmwastelagoons foul local communities. There is conflict in almost every country where reportsareavailableamongandbetweenindustry,agriculture,andsuburban residentsallthirstingforwater.Industrializedandtransitioncountriessuffer from an increasingincidencerate of chronic diseasessuch as diabetes, obe- sity, and metabolic conditions, which are largely a result from processed foods. These challenges and others are mainly rooted in the modern food enterpriseandconsumerpreferences.Let’sbeclear,thesechallengesarepre- dictableandamenabletointervention.Ourcollectivefutureironicallyliesin thechoicesmadebyindividualconsumers.Sadly,takenasawhole,weare largelyuninformedandignoranttoourpotentialaspositivechangeagents. EveryparentIknowoptimizesthehealthandfutureoftheirchildrenasa sacred responsibility. Why would anyone knowingly compromise a child’s future?Forthisreason,Iadmirethisbookandtheevidenceitshares.Ourjob xvii
The list of books you might like
