Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems

This comprehensive text provides the latest research on key concepts, principles and practices for promoting healthy and sustainable food systems.

There are increasing concerns about the impact of food systems on environmental sustainability and, in turn, the impact of environmental sustainability on the capacity of food systems to protect food and nutrition security into the future. The contributors to this book are leading researchers in the causes of and solutions to these challenges. As international experts in their fields, they provide in-depth analyses of the issues and evidence-informed recommendations for future policies and practices. Starting with an overview of ideas about health, sustainability and equity in relation to food systems, Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems examines what constitutes a food system, with chapters on production, manufacturing, distribution and retail, among others. The text explores health and sustainable diets, looking at issues such as overconsumption and waste. The book ends with discussions about the politics, policy, personal behaviours and advocacy behind creating healthy and sustainable food systems.

With a food systems approach to health and sustainability identified as a priority area for public health, this text introduces core knowledge for students, academics, practitioners and policy-makers from a range of disciplines including food and nutrition sciences, dietetics, public health, public policy, medicine, health science and environmental science.

Introduction Section 1: Overarching dimensions of healthy and sustainable food systems 1. Health 2. Sustainability 3. Equity Section 2: The food system 4. Food system models 5. Food production 6. Food manufacturing: processed foods and big food corporations 7. Food retail and distribution: a focus on supermarkets 8. Food Service and Restaurant sectors 9. Food consumption: food, people, and contexts Section 3: Healthy and sustainable diets 10. Healthy and sustainable diets 11. Overconsumption and the global syndemic 12. Co-benefits for climate and health of shifting towards plant-based diets 13. The untenable role of ‘junk food’ in a healthy and sustainable food system 14. Food waste Section 4: Creating healthy and sustainable food systems – Politics, policy, people and practitioners 15. Political economy of healthy and sustainable food systems 16. Policy to promote healthy and sustainable food systems 17. People’s food-related practices: towards healthy and sustainable food systems 18. Practitioner advocacy to promote healthy and sustainable food systems Conclusion

Mark Lawrence is Professor of Public Health Nutrition at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Burwood, Australia.

Sharon Friel is Professor of Health Equity and Director of the School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet), Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.