Will climate change and extreme events affect nutrition?
The answer is yes. Together with colleagues at the University of Sydney, we found that climate change and extreme events will not only impact food supply chains, but also other sectors such as retail, and nutrient availability across regions. Those least able to cope will suffer the most. This type of research can really help policy makers decide on the best approaches to mitigate these problems, so that no one is left behind.
Is it possible for pregnant women to eat a sustainable diet?
Together with researchers at the University of Sydney, we found that if pregnant women replaced one serve of beef with one serve of firm tofu (with the same amount of calories) each week throughout pregnancy, GHG emissions would be reduced by 372.2 kg CO2 eq, equivalent to the emissions produced by a typical passenger vehicle driven for 1498 km…that’s approximately from Sydney to Bryon Bay…and back! Not only that, iron intakes would still be suitable for pregnant women PLUS they would gain additional folate and fibre!!
Universities are in a unique position to demonstrate leadership in supporting healthy and sustainable food systems
We know that organisations across the globe can and must lead the way in supporting healthy and sustainable food systems. Universities employ tens of thousands of staff and educate tens of thousands of students and so are in a unique position to demonstrate leadership and support healthy and sustainable food systems on campus. While there are good things happening across campuses in Australia and New Zealand, there is still some way to go. We need more systematic and holistic approaches in order to truly make a difference.
What exactly are healthy and sustainable diets?
Research shows that reshaping our food systems (from paddock to plate) could have enormous win-wins for people and planet. We hear more and more that healthy and sustainable food systems are urgently required. But what exactly are healthy and sustainable food systems, how do we build these systems and are there any implications? We were part of research team which explored one approach to find out the answers to these important questions…..
Australia may be the land of plenty, but it is still food insecure
The recent ABARES insight report tells us that us Aussies have nothing to worry about when it comes to food security. Yes, we have plenty of food. Australia exports about 70% of it's agricultural production and only about 10 per cent of the household budget is spent on imports.
However, the report and associated media coverage are misleading. Why? While Australia has plenty of food, it is far from food secure. “Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”. (World Food Summit, 1996). This is currently not the case.
How climate change will impact food security in Australia?
We explain that climate change may exacerbate food insecurity through direct (eg, flood damage to crops) and indirect mechanisms such as reduced crop nutrients (eg, protein, iron and zinc) due to increased carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and scarcity-related food price increases…
Is a healthy and sustainable food system in Australia possible?
Our recent findings indicate that YES we can develop a system-wide food and nutrition policy could be developed to meet today’s environmental, health, social and economic challenges. But will we?
Food co-op members eat more veggies
Only 5% of Australian children and adults eat enough fruit and vegetables. Two common barriers are high cost and limited access. Food co-operatives (‘co-ops’) may have the potential to reduce these barriers. We were part of a research team which looked at the fruit and veggie intake of those who were food co-ops members versus those who were not. Findings show that members ate more veggies and were more likely to meet the recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake. Saying that, our findings also showed that most co-ops were in wealthier areas and so those who may most need healthier food are not accessing it.