Diets, Public Health and Environmental Degradation: Trade-offs, Synergies, and Policy Interventions

This Research Topic focuses on the dynamics between diet, health, and the environment, and their policy implications for sustainable development. In societies across the world, dietary shifts resulting from rising affluence and urbanization have been characterized by the greater consumption of meat and processed foods. In turn, these global trends have caused deleterious environmental impacts due to the intensification and expansion of agriculture (especially livestock husbandry) as well as pollution from food processing and waste. Additionally, these dietary shifts have led to a greater incidence of diseases such as obesity, coronary ailments, and diabetes, greatly increasing burdens on public health systems. At the same time, in developing and underdeveloped countries particularly, food safety is often undermined by environmental degradation and ineffective regulation, which further threaten public health.

We would like to explore the trade-offs and synergies between diets, disease, and environmental degradation, and how food- and environment-related policies can promote both public health and sustainability. For instance, management and technological interventions could include measures that aim to: reduce food waste, advance environmentally-sound (including low-carbon) agricultural practices, increase the localization of food sourcing, promote transitions towards healthier and more sustainable diets (e.g., less meat-intensive diets), and improve food safety. The focus of the studies can be local, national, or international in scale, and comparative studies, as well as systematic reviews and meta-analyses, are also welcome. In order to provide practical solutions, all submissions are expected to include policy implications.