Sustainable, healthy diets: Models and measures

Abstract

The definition of sustainable food and nutrition security involves four principal domains. Foods and food patterns need to be nutrient-dense, affordable, culturally acceptable, and sparing of the environment. Each domain has its own metrics. Nutrient density is measured in terms of nutrients in relation to calories. Affordability is measured in terms of calories and nutrients per unit cost. Cultural acceptance can be measured in terms of frequency of consumption by population subgroups. Lifecycle analysis (LCA) of the environmental impact of foods is based on the use of land, water, and energy resources during food production and utilization. Nutrient profiling models separate foods that are energy-dense from those that are nutrient-rich. Global economic pressures, exacerbated by climate change, may push the agro-food industry toward producing more low-cost calories and insufficient nutrients. Social disparities in diet quality may increase not only in lowand middle- income countries (LMIC) but also in the developed world.