Towards a “Great Food Transformation”

Unhealthy and unsustainably produced food poses a global risk to people and the planet, says a new study by the EAT-Lancet Commission. More than 820 million people are undernourished and many more consume an unhealthy diet that contributes to premature death. Global food production is the largest pressure caused by humans on Earth, threatening local ecosystems and the stability of the Earth system, it says.

Current dietary trends, combined with projected population growth to about 10 billion by 2050, will exacerbate risks to people and planet. The effects of food production on greenhouse gas emissions, nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, biodiversity loss, and water and land are reducing the stability of the Earth’s ecosystems.

One of the biggest drivers of deforestation is the expansion of livestock farming to feed a growing population, whose diet is increasingly meat-rich.

“The reduction of agricultural biodiversity in global food systems is of growing concern,” says UN biodiversity expert Marieta Sakalian.

Thousands of species exist on farms and in the wild. Among these are millions of varieties, many of which are nutrient-rich and well adapted to local ecosystems. This agrobiodiversity is critical in ensuring a sustainable food system. Healthy diets based on sustainable food systems are necessary to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, and scientific targets for healthy diets and sustainable food production are needed to guide what the EAT-Lancet Commission calls “a Great Food Transformation”.

Original source: UN Environment
Published on 19 February 2019