Sustainability Challenges, Human Diet and Environmental Concerns

The food system has become a nexus point for environmental and health problems, giving rise to the idea of modifying diet to produce health and environmental impacts. In this chapter we review the literature examining the environmental and health impacts of food consumption and diet. First, we discuss the current state of the global food system and review the impacts of diet upon health outcomes. This leads into discussion of the factors that are preventing healthy sustainable eating. We then summarise the literature about the environmental impacts of food consumption and diet, focusing on animal protein consumption. We review the two main methods of environmental impact assessment: Life Cycle Assessment and Environmentally Extended Input-Output analysis; and evaluate the merits of the current metrics and functional units of environmental assessment. Finally, we highlighting the main intervention types used to modify diet and reduce negative environmental externalities. Keywords Environmental impacts Food security Life cycle assessment Input–output Functional Units Interventions Food and Health Animal protein Sustainable Intensification