In recent decades, the Western diet has come to the forefront of the sustainability conversation, and the food industry has been forced to confront the significant burden it continues to place on our planet’s resources. Around twenty years ago, CO2 emissions from vehicles preoccupied the sustainability campaign, however the agricultural sector now spans a much wider range of environmental issues from greenhouse gases to deforestation and water pollution. With the billion-dollar meat industry showing never-before-seen rates of production, it is impossible to conceive of a way for us to continue our current diets without incurring irreversible costs to our planet’s wellbeing.
Beyond the scientific proclamations, a more notable sign of the growing awareness of the role of food in environmental sustainability can be seen through the pervasion of veganism and permaculture in popular culture and social media. Research from Google analyzing viewing patterns in YouTube data found that millennials (ages 18 to 34) are responsible for a 280% growth in food channel subscriptions, of which an increasing amount promote a plant-based diet as an eco-friendly option. This recent trend of social media “influencers” has played a key role in bringing the vegan diet to mainstream attention and ultimately into people’s lifestyles. According to a survey, it is estimated that 7% of the UK population are vegan and 14% are vegetarian. This research suggests that over 3.5 million British people follow a plant-based diet, a sharp increase from the 540 000 estimated vegans in 2016. Health, animal welfare and environmental benefits are three of the most commonly reported motivators for the decrease in meat consumption.
Undoubtedly such a pressing topic can only serve to benefit from being brought into the public eye, however, with the bombardment of various dietary trends, it can be difficult to separate the root of the issue from the extraneous, superficial dressings endorsed by supposed health gurus.
Amongst the array of diets hailed for their sustainability rating, a vast majority of them incorporate so-called “superfoods” as a way of maintaining both an environmentally sustainable and nutritionally-balanced diet. The term “superfood” generally refers to foods – mostly plant-based – thought to be nutritionally dense with superior health benefits; quinoa, acai, and chia seeds are just a few examples of foods that have flaunted the title in recent years. As the label suggests, the thought of these foods having “super” health benefits is an appealing one. This may explain why as many as 61% of people in the UK purchase a product purely because it has been labelled a “superfood.” Beyond the appeal of nutritional value for consumers, it is important to remember that there are real incentives for producers to use terms like “superfood” as a marketing mechanism. This fact is clearly shown through the 202% global increase in the number of products launched under variations of the term “superfood.” Despite this trend, there remains no real regulatory definition for superfoods, which raises the question whether we are swept up in dietary nuances that neglect the basics of nutrition, and distract us from the fundamentals of sustainable healthy eating.
In reality, these superfoods often have a nutritional value similar to that of foods found in general supermarkets, which carry the added bonus of accessibility and lower costs; berries, leafy greens, and legumes are all worthy of the superfood title and tend to be more readily available to most people. By buying into a narrative that hails expensive products flown in from South America (often exclusive to a minority of specialist stores), we dismiss the simple yet effective staples and risk such changes becoming relevant only to those who can afford it. Essentially, we need to strip back the current food frenzies to find a solid foundation for a balanced diet that is easily sustained in the long-term.
The solution is a lot simpler than people may think: local and seasonal shopping. Where possible, purchasing locally-sourced produce eliminates the transportation of food over thousands of miles from its source to your plate, and plays a key role in the carbon mitigation solution. The environmental impacts of purchasing food over long distances go hand-in-hand with the current delusions about our food system: by extending our food chains, we become detached from the seasonal rhythms of farming climates and instead feed into a culture of overconsumption that has prevailed as the norm in the Western world. With big supermarkets offering more choice than ever, we might be tempted to dismiss this solution with the complaint that local produce markets are no match when it comes to the array of foods available. The reason for that is simple: such foods cannot be locally sourced. In this trend of continuous consumption that charges Western industries, we no longer question why we can get tropical fruits so readily while it’s -15 degrees outside; any regard for the journey of these products is sidelined. Ultimately, we are working on a warped assumption that we can have whatever we want whenever we want. Within the framework of sustainable eating, that is an inherent contradiction.
Unfortunately, a great number of people live in an area that simply doesn’t cater to eco-friendly farming, and as a result do not have the luxury of growing or purchasing local seasonal food. In that case, it is important to remember that there is no one way of sustainable eating; all we have to do is inform ourselves of the optimal choices from what we have. Reducing the amount of meat in our diets, and consuming with a mind to eliminate food waste, are examples of universal guidelines that are easily employed in moving towards sustainable eating for everyone.
Undoubtedly, the mainstream spotlight has proven to be effective in highlighting and substantively changing dietary choices that have significant benefits in reducing the environmental devastation of the food industry. On the other hand, sustainable eating needs to be more than a marketing mechanism for health-food businesses, and in that respect the individual can play a key role in calling into question these selective food fads. What remains is for the accessibility of sustainable eating to appeal to the larger audience, an audience who in turn needs to make an informed decision to alter their parameters of consumption and their expectations of the food industry; it is only that audience that will make a real impact.
