Nutrition and the guiding principle of sustainability

Peer reviewed / Manuscript (overview) received: 30 January 2018 / Revision accepted: 03 September 2019

Global challenges and problem-solving approaches on a national and international, UN level

Global challenges in the field of nutrition

The fundamental issues that this chapter will focus on are the global challenges that humanity is currently facing and the extent to which these challenges are associated with individual dietary behavior and the global food system.

When selecting literature on global challenges, preference was given to studies by UN institutions (e.g. the Food and Agriculture Organization [FAO], the UN Environment Programme [UNEP], the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change [UNFCCC]) or national governmental institutions (e.g. The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety [BMU], the German Environment Agency [UBA], and the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture [BMEL]), as well as primary literature.

The evaluation shows that current global challenges include unjust distribution of resources/ poverty crisis, the world hunger crisis, the consequences of the adoption of Western eating habits in the Global South, climate change, water scarcity, soil degradation, species loss/ deforestation and food waste. Many of these challenges are related—either directly or indirectly—to individual dietary habits or to global food systems. These challenges are discussed in more detail in the following sub-chapters.

Abstract

Humanity is facing many global challenges, some of which can be influenced by how we eat. Examples include the poverty and world hunger crisis, the consequences of the adoption of Western dietary habits in the Global South, climate change, water scarcity, soil degradation, species loss/ deforestation and food waste. What are the possible solutions? Based on many years of research, a concept of Sustainable Nutrition is presented here as an example, including seven action-oriented principles. Programmes at the international level of the UN are also presented, including the 2030 Agenda with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Food Systems Programme. A survey showed that in Europe, only a few professional associations for nutrition provide dietary guidelines for consumers. Those that do take aspects of sustainability into account to varying degrees, with health-related aspects usually being given priority.

Keywords: sustainable development, globalization, world nutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, SDGs, Education for Sustainable Development, plant-based diet

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