What are Sustainable Food Systems (SFS)?
There are many different ways to define SFS, and they do, and should, take many forms around the world. No one diet or way of producing food is globally sustainable. Rather, SFS do not systematically and increasingly degrade the social and ecological systems on which they depend, as is the case in many food systems around the world today. It is helpful to have a vision to guide practice.
Dietitians-Nutritionists' Vision of SFS
As part of the ICDA Sustainability Initiative, Dietitians-Nutritionists (D-Ns), came together to define a vision that we can work toward as a profession. See the document “Building Common Ground for Sustainable Food Systems in Nutrition and Dietetics“ for details. The following is a summary:
We envision Sustainable Food Systems as ones that
nourish all people, now and into the future,
with sufficient, nutritious, affordable, tasty,
diverse, and culturally appropriate food.
Such food systems support
people’s physical and mental health
while respecting the integrity of
ecological and social systems.
Within this vision, ALL people have dignified and appropriate physical and economic access to such food systems; food systems in turn contribute to sustainable livelihoods for food system workers and contribute to peace and stability.
There exists a culture of respect for food and the people who are involved in food systems (farmers, processors, cooks, etc.). There is also a culture of respect for ecosystem resources and services on which our food systems depend. High levels of food and nutrition literacy mean that people have the knowledge and skills to feed themselves and their families sustainably.
Global SFS includes a diversity of coordinated local, regional, and global-scale actors that are responsive to meeting diverse food needs at the community level. In this system, food production and consumption activities are rooted in food cultures and adaptive to change.
Governance of a SFS includes a diverse set of food system actors (e.g. producers, sellers/retailers, public health professionals, consumers). Such governance allows for distributed power and leadership that values multiple ways of knowing and producing evidence (e.g., Indigenous knowledge, scientific evidence, etc.) to inform SFS decision-making.
Sustainable Food Systems (SFS)
The following is a broad overview of the Sustainability, Food Systems, and Nutrition Learning Modules, found on the next page.
What is Sustainability?
The concept of sustainability invites us to consider food, nutrition, and health in the context of our relationship with the environment, society, economy, and with past, current, and future generations.
Sustainability definitions and implementation vary across disciplines and cultures. For example, the Mi’kmaw concept of Netukulimk emphasises reliance on nature to support yourself and your community while also contributing to and protecting nature—highlighting the interconnectedness of all things, including land, animals, water, and human beings.
The United Nations employs variations of the Brundtland definition of sustainable development, which describes human development that balances the environment, society, and economy in a way that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own.
These definitions are helpful to envision sustainability, but they can be challenging to put into practice without more guidance. The Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development emphasises that in order to achieve sustainability, there are myriad opportunities, as long as one does not violate the eight sustainability principles important to our socioecological systems.
Source: Sustainability Illustrated
What are Food Systems?
Food systems are complex, interconnected networks of actors and factors that encompass all aspects of food production, distribution, and consumption. This includes important roles played by economic structures, political systems, health systems, and human sociocultural systems.
Food systems are inseparable from the environment on which they depend, and the people who shape them. Indigenous food systems, like those of the Andean peoples and the Sámi, highlight the deep connections between food systems, culture, and sustainability.
Viewing food systems as complex is essential for addressing sustainability challenges, as it emphasises the need for a holistic approach that considers environmental soundness, economic viability, and social justice.
Individuals can reflect on their roles within these networks to engage effectively with food systems and incorporate systems thinking into their practices. Actions include learning from sustainable practices from Indigenous food systems, analysing food loss and waste at multiple stages in food systems, advocating for collaboration between various food systems actors and factors, and continuously learning about dynamic food systems.
By recognising the interconnections within food systems and collaborating across disciplines, we can better address human health and environmental conservation issues.
Source: Nourish
Why are Food Systems Currently Not Sustainable?
Industrialised food systems are unsustainable, yet they dominate globally. Present food systems frequently offer products that compromise both human and environmental health.
These systems fail to nourish everyone adequately or equitably, as evidenced by high malnutrition rates (which include overweight, underweight, and/or micronutrient deficiencies at any weight) and contribute to non-communicable diseases, often concentrated among specific populations, although they can impact anyone.
The foods typically provided by current food systems are often highly processed and calorie-dense, lacking the variety and nutritional density needed for a healthy dietary pattern balanced from all the food groups. Furthermore, current food systems have significant food loss and waste at every stage, which is an inefficient use of our resources. These resources could be better utilised to nourish people or animals instead of going to landfills and contributing to greenhouse gases.
The resources our food systems depend on – soil, water, air, flora, fungi, fauna, and humans – face increasing pressures that further threaten our food systems. Ironically, food systems are major drivers of such pressure. Global industrial food systems have been shaped by the Green Revolution, which emphasises quantity over quality, depends on fossil fuels for synthetic fertility, chemicals, plastics, and energy, and clears large swaths of land for monoculture agriculture.
This approach carries hidden costs, including pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, and related health issues. These hidden costs include health risks for agricultural workers and the public, like antimicrobial resistance, pesticide toxicity, and the spread of zoonotic diseases. Unfortunately, these costs are not reflected in food prices or in the decision-making processes governing food systems. Moreover, entrenched inequities in land distribution and access to other resources marginalise smallholder farmers, perpetuating disparities.
Understanding how current industrial food systems systematically contribute to unsustainable conditions for individuals, communities, and the environment enables practitioners to grasp the full scope of the challenges and identify potential solutions. Recognising the intricate connections between food systems, health, climate change, biodiversity, and social equity underscores the necessity of adopting systemic and holistic approaches to address these issues effectively.
Source: UNEP’s YouTube
What is a Healthy and Sustainable Dietary Pattern?
Sustainable dietary patterns support environmental and human health for everyone in current and future generations while respecting biodiversity, cultural traditions, and affordability. A sustainable dietary pattern varies across cultures, communities, and individuals, reflecting diverse needs and practices. The FAO’s “Guiding Principles for Sustainable, Healthy Diets” provides a list of sixteen key principles summarised here:
Human health starts with exclusive breastfeeding from zero to six months of age, then continuing for two years while consuming a variety of minimally processed foods. Sustainable diets are: high in whole grains, tubers, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts; moderate amounts of oilseeds and animal products; adequate in safe drinking water; and low in highly refined processed foods, especially those with added refined sugars, refined fats, salt, and alcohol.
Environmentally sustainable dietary patterns source foods from systems that have low greenhouse gas emissions and avoid resource overuse and abuse, such as fossil fuels, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and food loss and waste – considering every stage of the system from production, processing, preparation, and consumption back to production again.
Socially sustainable dietary patterns respect local traditions and gender dynamics while remaining accessible, equitable, and desirable.
Putting these sixteen principles into practice means selecting foods from agroecological organic systems as often as possible, with foods balanced across the food groups (primarily from plants, trees, and fungi with a smaller amount from animals).
Consideration of the types of animal foods, in addition to the system that the food comes from, is important for both the planet and people. Red and processed meats should be used sparingly, approximately once a week; chicken, eggs, and dairy a few times a week; and insects and aquatic animals more frequently (with some exceptions such as fish that are on ‘red lists’).
Source: WHO.int
Other sustainable actions can include choosing from fresh, locally available foods to create meals that are delicious, meaningful, and enjoyed with friends and family; reducing food waste by planning meals, using leftovers, and returning byproducts to the food system, such as composting; avoiding plastics and other fossil fuel products; using sustainable energy sources for cooking, processing, and transporting foods and equipment needed for the food system; and if possible, participating in or starting local food councils to create and advocate for sustainable food systems.
Countries are encouraged to adapt these principles to their unique contexts, balancing nutritional, environmental, and socio-cultural factors.
If you would like to delve deeper into SFS, continue on to the next page: the Sustainability, Food Systems, and Nutrition Learning Modules. The modules lead you through a curated series of learning activities about SFS, such as short readings and videos, followed by reflective questions that encourage critical thought and practice-based application.