From “good for people” to “good for people and planet” – Placing health and environment on equal footing when developing food-based dietary guidelines

A. Wood, E. Moberg, K. Curi-Quinto, P. Van Rysselberge and E. Röös

Food Policy, 2023, vol. 117, issue C

Abstract: Dietary guidelines are a primary tool for promoting healthier and more sustainable diets. Despite several examples of dietary guidelines that consider - to various degrees - aspects of environmental sustainability, there is currently no framework that systematically incorporates environmental sustainability as a primary consideration. We present a five-step framework for developing environmentally sustainable dietary guidelines that would simultaneously meet nutritional requirements while staying within environmental boundaries. The steps comprise: 1) determining an average healthy diet for different population groups and criteria for healthy diets; 2) identifying relevant environmental aspects and establishing corresponding boundaries; 3) identifying systemic effects and crucial sustainability aspects; 4) altering the average diet to meet environmental goals and resolve trade-offs between environmental and nutritional goals; and 5) formulating sustainable food-based dietary guidelines. To exemplify the framework, we pilot it in the Swedish context, but it could be utilised for any other country.

Keywords: Dietary guidelines; Environmental sustainability; Food systems; Framework; Sweden (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:117:y:2023:i:c:s0306919223000428

DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2023.102444

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