Voices: Stories About Practice In Sustainable Nutrition

Research has shown the production of animal-based foods generates higher green-house gas emissions and requires greater water and land use than the production of plant-based foods.  However, there are many points to consider when evaluating the environmental impact of meat.  The agriculture sector has made substantial improvements to lower green-house gas emissions. Many regions graze animals on land not suited for crop production and some techniques related to raising animals may help maintain biodiversity and healthy ecosystems. While pasture-raised animals may provide a higher quality of life for animals and lower environmental impacts related to more intensive farming strategies such a strategy may not be practical to meet all of the current or projected consumption demands and could require more farmland than what is available in some regions. And in Tara Garnett’s words “while grazing livestock have their place in a sustainable food system, that place is limited” I am pleased today to have joining us two dietitians who share their knowledge and experience on the role of meat in the country where they currently live and work. First is Sonja Schonberg, who has a Masters in Food, Nutrition and Health and currently is a teacher and researcher at Bern University in Switzerland.  And we also have Stacia Nordin, a dietitian who lives and works in Malawi. https://www.wwfbaltic.org/our-vision-for-the-baltic-sea/reduce-eutrophication/meat-guide/Climate Impacts of Cultured Meat and Beef Cattle Meat alternatives: life cycle assessment of most known meat substitutes WWF Meat guides from Sweden, Finland and Germany Meat Guide - Baltic WWF Plant-based meat substitutes in the flexitarian age: an audit of products on supermarket shelves https://icdasustainability.org/report/plant-based-meat-substitutes-in-the-flexitarian-age-an-audit-of-products-on-supermarket-shelves/ https://www.tabledebates.org/publication/grazed-and-confused

Food loss and waste amount to a major use of resources and it produces greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global warming and climate change.  In high income countries more food is wasted in our homes than any other part of the supply chain. Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 captures a commitment to halve food waste at the retail and consumer level. Behind the challenge lies a huge opportunity for dietitians and nutritionists to not only reduce waste in operations where food is served and to also to make it harder for consumers to waste food – through education and through changing the environment in which food is consumed. In this podcast we speak with two dietitians who share their diverse approach and experience in combatting this topic.  Margaretha af Trolle from Sweden who works with an organization that provides nutritious and varied food to preschools, schools, hospitals and nursing homes. And Rebecca Tran a dietitian from Canada who has created innovative solutions through her business The Station Food Hub. Case study: SecondBite (https://icdasustainability.org/case-study/secondbite/ ) Resource: Tips to Reduce Foodwaste ( https://icdasustainability.org/report/tips-to-reduce-foodwaste/ ) Emerging research: Environmental Sustainability of Hospital Foodservices Across the Food Supply Chain: A systematic review (https://icdasustainability.org/report/environmental-sustainability-of-hospital-foodservices-across-the-food-supply-chain-a-systematic-review-2/ ) Resource: Green Healthcare: Healthy and Sustainable Food ( https://icdasustainability.org/report/green-healthcare-healthy-and-sustainable-food/ ) Webinar: Action Track #2: Shift to Sustainable Consumption Patterns with EAT (https://eatstockholmfoodforumas.cmail19.com/t/ViewEmail/d/228C39B903A19C922540EF23F30FEDED/0EDD64604A1CFE390367819F23434F99) All of these, plus more, can be found on the ICDA-SFS Toolkit at icdasustainability.org

This podcast is a part of the online Toolkit, Supporting Sustainability in Nutrition, which you can find at icdasustainability.org. In this podcast we share stories of the nutrition and dietetic practitioners from around the world who are trailblazers, working to deepen connections between people and food systems and educate tomorrow’s dietitians for the realities they will face.  This podcast is about role modelling. Our aim is to support listeners to incorporate sustainability into practice, by learning from colleagues who are doing it. We hope to inspire ideas, spark conversations and action, and consider new ways to address existing challenges. Our host, Roxane Wagner, is a great talent in the Canadian sustainable food world; a Canadian Dietitian, Sustainable Systems expert, and small-scale farmer. She developed, designed and hosted the following suite of stories. This series has been funded by the International Confederation of Dietetics Associations (ICDA). After listening to any of the podcasts  if you want to share your comments, reactions, or discuss any topics further, please, get in touch with us using the discussion forum on the Toolkit at:  icdasustainability.org/forums