Sustainably feeding a growing population is a global problem, but also one for New Zealand to consider. Where does our reputation for high quality, premium food products fit in a hungrier world? How can Kiwi innovation and ingenuity make a difference to the global future of food? At the Feed our Future dialogue, stakeholders and decision makers came together for an accessible evidence-based discussion of the key global issues and the local decisions that we need to make. We explored the current conversation of sustainable food, bringing moderation and balance to what is often a debate of extremes. This dialogue inspired valuable conversations and put New Zealand at the front of the sustainable food systems debate.
Feed Our Future (June 2021): single day meeting in Te Papa, Wellington. Bringing government, industry and science together to engage in evidence-based discussion of sustainable nutrition. 120 attendees, with follow-up recordings and shared more widely.
Following the event, the New Zealand Science Review ran a special issue on the event featuring articles from each of the speakers and summaries of the audience discussion. The special issue was guest edited by SNi® researchers and can be found here.
Feed our Future Keynote – An Important Conversation
Barbara’s experience includes working for FAO at the UN and is chair of the Sustainable Diets Task Force and on the UN Committee on World Food Security.
Feed our Future – “Nutrient Bioavailability & protein quality”
Session 1 – Nutrition comes first.
Thom discusses optimisation of proteins in a balanced sustainable diet.
Feed our Future – “How affordable and accessible is nutrition?”
Session 1 – Nutrition comes first.
Nick outlines the affordability of diets worldwide and how accessible the nutrients you need to live, are.
Feed our Future – “Origin of the current conversation: An exploration of the animal/plant divide”
Session 2 – The Current Food System Conversation.
Frederic discusses the evolution of meat eating, and how it is accepted within society.
Feed our Future – “The role of animals in a sustainable circular food system”
Session 2 – The current food system conversation.
Hannah discusses a circular food system, and the importance of its role in feeding humans, while minimizing environmental impact.
Feed our Future – “Environmental footprinting & accounting for nutrition”
Session 3- Stewart discusses the environmental impacts of food systems and examining the real cost of food production.
How can we compare foods in a realistic way?
Feed Our Future – “Reframing food waste with respect to nutrition”
Session 3 – Food waste is a big issue in sustainability and a third of it is thrown away domestically.
How does this impact on nutrition?
Feed our Future – “Alternative Proteins – what is their realistic future?”
Session 4 – Changing the Food System
Paul talks about the future of cell produced food and the challenges that this production method faces to feed the world.
New Zealand
Ministry for Primary Industries
University of Otago
Internationally
Land use of global food system scenarios: working to include land use footprints in the DELTA Model®.
Nutrient trade: working with the University of São Paulo to understand the international movement of nutrients and the implications of this trade.
Milk alternatives: undertaking research measuring the nutritional composition of plant-based beverages.
iOTA Model®: An optimisation model for sustainable healthy diets.
Participation in UN Food System Summit dialogues:
Provided expert commentary on sustainable nutrition for Science Media Centre.
Articles on new research in the sustainable nutrition field are posted weekly under SNippets.
Articles covering a theme in the field are posted monthly under Thought for Food.
These articles are written for a non-scientific audience, to increase readership. We have over 12 000+ article reads to date.
The role of meat in the human diet: evolutionary aspects and nutritional value. Animal Frontiers.
Leroy F, Smith NW, Adesogan AT, Beal T, Iannotti L, Moughan PJ, Mann N (2023).
Comparison of carbon footprint and water scarcity footprint of milk protein produced by cellular agriculture and the dairy industry. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment.
Behm K, Nappa M, Aro N, Welman A, Ledgard S, Suomalainen M, Hill JP (2022).
Estimating cropland requirements for global food system scenario modeling. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems.
Smith NM, Fletcher AJ, Millard P, Hill JP, McNabb WC (2022).
Modelling the contribution of meat to global nutrient availability. Frontiers in Nutrition.
Smith NW, Fletcher AJ, Hill JP, McNabb WC (2022).
Modelling the contribution of milk to global nutrition. Frontiers in Nutrition.
Smith NW, Fletcher AJ, Hill JP, McNabb WC (2022).
The Role of Holistic Nutritional Properties of Diets in the Assessment of Food System and Dietary Sustainability. Advances in Nutrition.
Dave LA, Hodgkinson S, Roy NC, Smith NW, McNabb WC (2021).
Animal and Plant Sourced Nutrition: Complementary not Competitive. Animal Production Science.
Smith NW, Fletcher AJ, Hill JP, McNabb WC (2021).
Use of the DELTA Model® to understand the food system and global nutrition. Journal of Nutrition.
Smith NW, Fletcher AJ, Dave LA, Hill JP, McNabb WC (2021).
Lifetime Climate Impacts of Diet Transitions: A Novel Climate Change Accounting Perspective. Sustainability.
Barnsley JE, Chandrakumar C, Gonzalez-Fischer C, Eme PE, Bourke BEP, Smith NW, Dave LA, McNabb WC, Clark H, Frame DJ, Lynch J, Roche JR (2021).
Invited to speak on 'Improving nutrition for public benefit'
Invited to discuss the work of SNi® on Sustainable Nutrition and the global food system
Invited talk on the DELTA Model®
Invited plenary address on sustainable nutrition &
conference presentation on the DELTA Model®
Event/Research/Engagement illustrations by Storyset
The Sustainable Nutrition Initiative® is a research programme helping to create a better understanding of the food system and opportunities for improvement in order to sustainably feed the global population with the nutrients required.
This fund supports Massey University students to undertake research as part of the Sustainable Nutrition Initiative®, providing evidence for sustainable food systems for the future.