Case study
We know a poor diet can have severe outcomes on our waistline but they can also have important impacts on the environment too.
Poor diets affect more than just our health
Australian's poor diets are growing the nation's waistlines and contributing to health issues but global food systems cause major impacts on the environment as well. Changes from the plate up, are being considered internationally as a leading strategy to lessen environmental impact.
Discretionary or "junk" foods, such as alcohol, confectionery, fried foods and processed meat are high in kilojoules, but low or completely lacking in essential nutrients. Australia's overconsumption of discretionary foods is not good for the planet, and contributes to a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.
The food demand of a growing population places great pressure on the environment. The food system is estimated to account for between 19 and 29 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and around 70 per cent of global freshwater use.
Emissions from discretionary foods are considered 'avoidable' because they are not a necessary part of a balanced diet. However, just cutting out discretionary food would leave many diets energy deficient. Australians generally need to reduce their intake of discretionary foods and increase core foods. Eating according to dietary guidelines will help to reduce population dietary greenhouse gas emissions.
Plugging a research gap
Our researchers, Bradley Ridoutt, Gilly Hendrie and Manny Noakes, conducted a literature review about dietary strategies that can reduce environmental impact.
Info-graphic consisting of a grid of boxes (six by three) numbered 1 to 17, each with an icon and text related to one of the UN sustainable development goals.
Information for each goal includes:
The final box contains the UN logo and the words Sustainable Development Goals.
UN Sustainable Development Goals
Show text descriptionUN Sustainable Development Goals
The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals mention 14 discrete environmental concerns that need to be addressed. As an example, of the 93 journal articles addressing environmental assessment of diets, only one study assessed data in relation to fish stocks.
Greenhouse gas emissions are important to consider but we also need to look beyond emissions because it is well known that efforts to reduce one environmental impact can very often exacerbate others. Current research on environmental impact lacks a holistic view.
What can we do to work towards a low-environmental diet?
Although more research is needed about low-environmental diets in Australia, the researchers recommend three ways to reduce your diet's environmental impact:
We partner with small and large companies, government and industry in Australia and around the world.