Image Resource IEA Discussion Paper No.82 CHEAP AS CHIPS: Is a healthy diet affordable? This report from the UK free market think tank Institute of Economic Affairs claims that healthy food is actually cheaper than ‘junk food’. In drawing this conclusion the IEA also states that taxes on unhealthy foods (consumed as they say disproportionately by people with low incomes) is unlikely to be enough to change consumer behaviour and will be regressive - it will hit poorer people the hardest. Read
Image Resource Consumer perception and behaviour regarding sustainable protein consumption: A systematic review This is a systematic review on consumer perception and behaviours in relation to meat, meat substitutes and the environment. It finds that both awareness of the environmental impact of meat consumption and a willingness to reduce meat consumption is low in the studied populations. The authors identify as a key research area the investigation of strategies that might help to motivate more moderate, sustainable meat consumption behaviour. Read
Image Resource Report by GRAIN about cutting meat and dairy consumption This report outlines the main - familiar - arguments for cutting meat and dairy consumption in high-income countries in order to significantly reduce GHG emissions. It specifically focuses on larger corporations and briefly touches on governance issues. Read
Image Resource Short BBC radio programme: Can we eat our way out of climate change? Tara Garnett (FCRN) and Sue Dibb (Eating Better) spoke on BBC World Service’s Inquiry programme about food consumption in relation to climate change. Read
Image Resource No short term difference in weight loss and health markers between a diet high in carbohydrates and one very high in saturated fats This randomized controlled study looked at how obese Norwegian men were affected by a diet very high in the intake of total and saturated fat, as compared to one high in carbohydrates, while controlling for intake of energy, protein, and polyunsaturated fats and food types. Read
Image Resource Letter to the European Commission with policy recommendations for reducing EU consumption of animal-based foods Twenty-four cross-party European parliament members, together with HSI’s Planting Fresh Ideas, wrote a letter to the European Commission President, First Vice President, and Commissioners, with policy recommendations for reducing EU consumption of animal-based foods. Read
Image Publication Metrics for sustainable healthy diets: why, what how? While governments have a major role to play in stimulating a shift towards sustainable healthy diets, food companies are the gatekeepers of consumption. The food that companies produce and sell, the way they market them, and at what price, are all crucial influences on what people eat. This report considers if we need a set of indicators to assess companies’ progress and hold them to account? Read
Image Resource Food Consumption in the City: Practices and patterns in Urban Asia and the Pacific Edited by Marlyne Sahakian, Czarina Saloma and Suren Erkman Read
Image Resource Alignment of Healthy Dietary Patterns and Environmental Sustainability: A Systematic Review This systematic review confirms earlier findings that a number of well-categorised sustainable dietary patterns are also good for health outcomes. There was consistent evidence to suggest that diets higher in plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruits, legumes, seeds, nuts, and whole grains and lower in animal-based foods (especially red meat), are both healthier and associated with a lower impact on the environment. Read
