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Journal articles
Roadmap for net-zero global food systems by 2050
This paper presents a “roadmap” towards achieving net zero in global food systems by 2050 - a plan which has recently been called for by institutional investors. The authors explore 64 pathways to net zero based on implementing varying levels of four major food systems interventions: increasing production efficiency through shifting to low-emissions practices; sequestering carbon in croplands and grasslands; changing diets to reduce the global production of protein from livestock; and adopting a diverse range of “new-horizon” - i.e. emerging - technologies such as methane inhibitors and perennial row crops.
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Creating Better Health for People, the Planet, and Animals: Food Systems Insights for Health Professionals
Reports
Food systems insights for health professionals
This report from the Global Alliance for the Future of Food describes ten case studies from across the globe of food initiatives that promote human, animal and ecological health, ranging from Thai government policy on reducing antimicrobial resistance to a land and food-based approach to Indigenous healthcare in Canada and an organic fruit and vegetable distributor in the Netherlands. It is aimed at healthcare and public health professionals.
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Meat protein alternatives: Opportunities and challenges
Reports
Meat protein alternatives: Opportunities and challenges
This report from the OECD Trade and Agriculture Directorate assesses the opportunities and challenges of three alternatives to meat: plant-based (marketed as nearly equivalent to meat), insects and cultured meat. Its modelling results suggest that a shift from meat towards meat alternatives in high and upper middle income countries could lower global land use and greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and land use; it would also lower global prices of meats, soybeans and cereals, producing benefits for consumers but putting economic pressure on farmers.
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Victory is in the Kitchen! Wartime lessons for today’s food systems? A blog by Eleanor Boyle
Essay
‘Victory is in the Kitchen’: Wartime lessons for today’s food systems?
During World War II, the British government transformed the domestic food system, implementing laws to cut food imports, encourage citizens to grow more of their own food, reduce food waste, and ration scarce foods such as meats, butter and sugar. In this blog post, educator and food writer Eleanor Boyle draws out the lessons that this historical case study offers for transforming today’s food systems in the face of the environmental crisis. She argues for reducing food waste, introducing modern versions of “British Restaurants” to offer low-cost meals and, controversially, rationing some foods including beef and dairy. About the author: Eleanor Boyle is an educator and writer in Vancouver, Canada. Formerly a journalist and college instructor, she holds a BSc in behavioural science, a PhD in neuroscience, and more recently, an MSc in food policy from City University London, working with Professors Tim Lang, David Barling, and Martin Caraher. Her publications include High Steaks: Why and How to Eat Less Meat (New Society 2012) and Mobilize Food! Wartime Inspiration for Environmental Victory Today (FriesenPress 2022). Eleanor has deep ties to Britain through family, study, and travel.
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Why Europe needs a health-oriented food policy
Reports
European policy must support healthy food environments
In this position paper, the European Public Health Alliance argues that the European Farm to Fork Strategy should be strengthened to prioritise the health of people, planet and animals - instead of abandoning the strategy in the face of COVID-19 and the Ukraine war, as some have suggested. It calls for impact assessment methodologies to include health risks (such as dietary links to non-communicable diseases); for a “less and better” approach to the consumption of animal foods; and for a comprehensive approach to creating healthy food environments to be adopted, including a food labelling scheme and regulation of the marketing of unhealthy or unsustainable foods.
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