LONDON—Eliminating waste, cutting fatty and sugary foods and reducing meat and dairy consumption would make the biggest contribution toward improving health and reducing the environmental impacts of the food system, says a new report from the Sustainable Development Commission.
The SDC's research found evidence that consuming only fish from sustainable stocks, eating more seasonal food, cutting out bottled water, shopping on foot or over the internet and consuming more wildlife-friendly, organic foods would also contribute towards a more sustainable diet. However, the most significant health and environmental benefits were from reducing meat and dairy, cutting food and drink of low nutritional value – including fatty and sugary foods – and reducing food waste.
“Setting the Table: Advice to Government on priority elements of sustainable diets,” commissioned by Defra, found strong evidence that many changes in consumption which benefit the environment also have the added advantage of improving nutritional health in the UK. Around 18 percent of UK greenhouse gas emissions are related to food consumption and production. And an estimated 70,000 premature deaths in the UK could be avoided if diets matched nutritional guidelines.
The Sustainable Development Commission is calling for all food advice generated across Government to incorporate environmental considerations as well as health guidance, and for sustainability criteria to be incorporated into public sector catering standards. It also recommends further research on particular sustainability 'hotspots' – including meat and dairy, fish, soy and palm oil – and how different methods of production can affect sustainability.