Obesity, undernutrition and climate change should be tackled together, including through reducing the profitability of livestock farming and processed foods, according to a new report published by the UK-based medical journal The Lancet.
The three problems are interconnected and form a "global syndemic", its authors argue. While they do not contribute new research on nutrition and climate change, they cite existing publications to advocate for change in public policy.
Include the costs of ill-health, environmental degradation, and greenhouse-gas emissions in the costs of products
"Reducing red meat consumption through taxes, redirected subsidies, health and environmental labelling, and social marketing would lead to healthier diets for cancer and obesity prevention, more land for efficient, sustainable agriculture, providing opportunities to reduce undernutrition, and lower greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture," a statement accompanying the report said, identifying dairy, sugar, maize, rice and wheat as commodities where subsidies should also be cut. The report itself is less focused on taxation, calling for "economic systems that include the costs of ill-health, environmental degradation, and greenhouse-gas emissions in the costs of products".
It also recommends limiting the influence of the agri-food industry on policy. "Many countries’ efforts to include environmental sustainability principles within their dietary guidelines failed due to pressure from strong food industry lobbies, especially the beef, dairy, sugar, and ultra-processed food and beverage industry sectors," the report states.
Listed companies
This position emerges from a view that the food industry is dominated by publicly listed multinational companies focusing exclusively on short-term profit. The authors oppose "the ongoing pattern of transfers of large amounts of public money to corporations in the form of subsidies and tax breaks, predominantly for beef and dairy and a small number of grains, such as corn, wheat, and rice, that are used for animal feed or form the basis of most ultra-processed foods", as well as fossil fuels.
It is not clear how the report's recommendations would apply to a country like Ireland, where farmer co-ops and privately held companies control most of food processing, and subsidies are paid to family farms while fossil fuels are heavily taxed.
Farming not examined
The report acknowledges that "the vast majority of the private actors who grow, process, distribute, and sell food are small-sized or medium-sized enterprises that have little sway over the conditions they operate under", but there are no suggestions how they might participate or cope in the radical shift recommended in food value chains.
The report includes seven personal stories of people involved in the food chain; none of these people are farmers.
Footprint labelling
A recommendation of the report's policy brief is to "use nutrition labelling to alert consumers to products high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat, and stimulate industry reformulation" and "add sustainability indicators, such as carbon and water footprints to food labels to help consumers make sustainable choices".
While this would play in favour of livestock products with the lowest footprint, such as those from Ireland, the report adopts a global approach and does differentiate between the environmental performance of farmers across countries and farming systems.
A range of recommendations also concern the promotion of sustainable transportation in reducing emissions from fossil fuels and achieving healthier, more active lifestyles.
Cattle v cars
"Food systems not only drive the obesity and undernutrition pandemics, but also generate 25-30% of greenhouse gas emissions, and cattle production accounts for over half of those. Car-dominated transportation systems support sedentary lifestyles and generate between 14-25% of greenhouse gas emissions," the authors wrote.
These figures appear to confirm the greater responsibility of fossil-fuelled private cars over cattle in climate change.
Commissions
The obesity report follows another report on sustainable diets authored by the EAT-Lancet commission earlier this month. Both studies were compiled by commissions bringing together international experts and were sponsored by the medical journal. The EAT-Lancet commission and the Lancet commission on obesity both mix science and advocacy to influence government decisions on food policy.
The obesity commission is chaired by Prof Boyd Swinburn of the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and Prof William Diets of George Washington University in the US. Two experts were involved in both the obesity and the EAT-Lancet reports: Corinna Hawkes of the University of London, and Mario Herrero of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Australia.
Herrero is the only participant in the obesity report with an agricultural research background.
Read more
EAT-Lancet reports shows importance of Irish farms in global climate battle
Forgetting geography in debate about diet
Is the vegan media obsession affecting farmers?
Keep calm and carry on farming
Obesity, undernutrition and climate change should be tackled together, including through reducing the profitability of livestock farming and processed foods, according to a new report published by the UK-based medical journal The Lancet.
The three problems are interconnected and form a "global syndemic", its authors argue. While they do not contribute new research on nutrition and climate change, they cite existing publications to advocate for change in public policy.
Include the costs of ill-health, environmental degradation, and greenhouse-gas emissions in the costs of products
"Reducing red meat consumption through taxes, redirected subsidies, health and environmental labelling, and social marketing would lead to healthier diets for cancer and obesity prevention, more land for efficient, sustainable agriculture, providing opportunities to reduce undernutrition, and lower greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture," a statement accompanying the report said, identifying dairy, sugar, maize, rice and wheat as commodities where subsidies should also be cut. The report itself is less focused on taxation, calling for "economic systems that include the costs of ill-health, environmental degradation, and greenhouse-gas emissions in the costs of products".
It also recommends limiting the influence of the agri-food industry on policy. "Many countries’ efforts to include environmental sustainability principles within their dietary guidelines failed due to pressure from strong food industry lobbies, especially the beef, dairy, sugar, and ultra-processed food and beverage industry sectors," the report states.
Listed companies
This position emerges from a view that the food industry is dominated by publicly listed multinational companies focusing exclusively on short-term profit. The authors oppose "the ongoing pattern of transfers of large amounts of public money to corporations in the form of subsidies and tax breaks, predominantly for beef and dairy and a small number of grains, such as corn, wheat, and rice, that are used for animal feed or form the basis of most ultra-processed foods", as well as fossil fuels.
It is not clear how the report's recommendations would apply to a country like Ireland, where farmer co-ops and privately held companies control most of food processing, and subsidies are paid to family farms while fossil fuels are heavily taxed.
Farming not examined
The report acknowledges that "the vast majority of the private actors who grow, process, distribute, and sell food are small-sized or medium-sized enterprises that have little sway over the conditions they operate under", but there are no suggestions how they might participate or cope in the radical shift recommended in food value chains.
The report includes seven personal stories of people involved in the food chain; none of these people are farmers.
Footprint labelling
A recommendation of the report's policy brief is to "use nutrition labelling to alert consumers to products high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat, and stimulate industry reformulation" and "add sustainability indicators, such as carbon and water footprints to food labels to help consumers make sustainable choices".
While this would play in favour of livestock products with the lowest footprint, such as those from Ireland, the report adopts a global approach and does differentiate between the environmental performance of farmers across countries and farming systems.
A range of recommendations also concern the promotion of sustainable transportation in reducing emissions from fossil fuels and achieving healthier, more active lifestyles.
Cattle v cars
"Food systems not only drive the obesity and undernutrition pandemics, but also generate 25-30% of greenhouse gas emissions, and cattle production accounts for over half of those. Car-dominated transportation systems support sedentary lifestyles and generate between 14-25% of greenhouse gas emissions," the authors wrote.
These figures appear to confirm the greater responsibility of fossil-fuelled private cars over cattle in climate change.
Commissions
The obesity report follows another report on sustainable diets authored by the EAT-Lancet commission earlier this month. Both studies were compiled by commissions bringing together international experts and were sponsored by the medical journal. The EAT-Lancet commission and the Lancet commission on obesity both mix science and advocacy to influence government decisions on food policy.
The obesity commission is chaired by Prof Boyd Swinburn of the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and Prof William Diets of George Washington University in the US. Two experts were involved in both the obesity and the EAT-Lancet reports: Corinna Hawkes of the University of London, and Mario Herrero of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Australia.
Herrero is the only participant in the obesity report with an agricultural research background.
Read more
EAT-Lancet reports shows importance of Irish farms in global climate battle
Forgetting geography in debate about diet
Is the vegan media obsession affecting farmers?
Keep calm and carry on farming
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