9 Summary of Learning Part 2

In Part 2, you learned about some of the ways that food systems and sustainability mediate the relationship between diets and human health, and why that matters to nutrition and dietetic practice.

Overall dietary patterns have differing impacts on greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, land use, water quality, etc., which impact overall ecological system integrity.  Food value chains, or the way food is produced, distributed, processed, and retailed, also play an important role in the overall environmental impacts.

Food value chains are part of broader food systems, alongside the political, social and economic structures. Food systems also impact the sustainability of social systems; they can facilitate or impede equitable access to healthy foods and public agency and sovereignty over their food systems and diets.

Most importantly, these relationships are reciprocal. As dietary choices and food systems are impacting social and ecological systems, these are in turn affecting food systems, dietary choices, and health outcomes. As our ecological systems are impacted, so too are the quantity and quality of food produced. For example, if soil is degraded, the biodiversity of microorganisms in the soil decreases, impacting plant health and field productivity. In addition, if highly processed, unhealthy foods systematically become the most affordable, this has intergenerational impacts on the nutrition and health of those with the least economic power.

As a result, these topics are highly relevant to nutrition and dietetics professionals who can better advocate for dietary patterns from sustainable food systems. While plant-forward diets often support better outcomes for both human and environmental health, it is essential to look beyond the plate and consider the entire food system in which plants and animals are produced, processed, and delivered to understand their true impacts.

Increasingly, national nutrition and dietetics associations are officially recognising the relevance of sustainable food systems and diets to practice through role papers and position papers. In Part 2, you were invited to explore some examples of these policy documents. Most acknowledge that nutrition and dietetics professionals have been doing this kind of work for a long time, are uniquely positioned to contribute to change due to their roles across food systems. Position papers often recognise that it is a shared responsibility requiring collaboration between diverse sectors and disciplines. Some position papers provide specific examples of knowledge, skills, and actions that are needed to put sustainable food systems into practice.

Finally, we explored how our work is tied to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and identified ways we can contribute to more sustainable food systems in our own work, studies, or community.