Thought for Food

The life of your food: A discussion of LCAs Posted in: Energy Consumption, Food Systems, Production, Sustainability A low impact lifestyle has become desirable as the consequences of our excessive consumption are exposed. However, how do we assess the environmental impacts that our product choices have? Here, we discuss the use of life cycle analyses (LCAs) and the challenges and opportunities these pose in estimating the environmental impact of our food systems.… read more...
Trading in soil carbon stocks Posted in: Food Systems, Production, Sustainability, Vegetable Food Sources Soil carbon has become a hot topic, with carbon sequestration in soil a possible method for reducing atmospheric CO2. But this isn’t an easy task, and there’s a lot more to soil carbon than just sequestration. Here, we provide an overview of soil carbon flows and what they mean in the context of the global… read more...
GMO crops in the global food system Posted in: Animal Food Sources, Diet, Food Systems, Health, Nutrition, Production, Sustainability, Vegetable Food Sources, Waste Genetically modified organisms (GMO) are already major contributors to the global food system since their commercial introduction in the 1990s. For example, over 90% of US corn and soy acreage is planted with GMO seeds. Despite this, the use of GMO is still controversial, with many individuals against their use and many authorities strictly regulating their production and consumption. Here, the arguments for and against GMO use in crop production are presented. GMO are defined as organisms, and products thereof, that are produced through techniques in… read more...
Saturated facts Posted in: Animal Food Sources, Diet, Health, Mortality, Nutrition, Vegetable Food Sources For nearly 50 years it has been believed that saturated fat is linked to heart disease. However, the scientific evidence does not universally support this assertion and recommendations are being made to change dietary guidelines and public knowledge around saturated fat. In response to increasing rates of heart disease in Western populations in the mid-20th century, the results of epidemiological studies comparing diets in different countries suggested that saturated… read more...
The requirement for balanced global diets that connect 9 billion consumers Posted in: Animal Food Sources, Diet, Food Systems, Livestock, Nutrition, Production, Sustainability, Uncategorized, Vegetable Food Sources Wayne Martindale, Associate Professor of Food Insights and Sustainability at the University of Lincoln, provides a perspective on sustainable diets and how we should think about them. The food and beverage system functions globally; we all source our meals from a global marketplace. The responsibility for a nutritious and balanced diet begins with producers and manufacturers before it is presented to consumers. The flow… read more...
Protein: we need quality, not just quantity Posted in: Animal Food Sources, Diet, Health, Nutrition, Uncategorized, Vegetable Food Sources Getting enough protein in our diets is essential for adequate nutrition. What is less well known is that protein represents a group of nutrients, the amino acids, each of which needs to be consumed in sufficient amounts. Here, we look at how we digest protein, the importance of amino acids, and show that protein quality,… read more...
Microbiomes and Sustainable Nutrition Posted in: Animal Food Sources, Food Sourcers, Food Systems, Livestock, Nutrition, Production, Sustainability, Vegetable Food Sources Did you know that around 10% of your daily energy intake is supplied by intestinal microbes? Or that many plants and animals that we rely on for food are dependent on microbes for their survival? Although the connections between the microscopic world and the global scale of sustainable nutrition are not obvious, microbes play a… read more...
Build a food system from nutrient rich foods first Posted in: Diet, Nutrition, Sustainability There is an increasing challenge to feed the world within global resource constraints. Therefore, production and consumption of nutrient-rich foods should be a priority. read more...
Food choice varies by individual context Posted in: Diet, Nutrition The options available to feed the world are not the same as the options available to feed individuals. Individuals, particularly those that can afford to, have a lot more choice in their foods and diets, including fortified foods and supplements to ensure their nutrient requirements are met. However, this is not necessarily the case on… read more...
An optimal food system is a practical one Posted in: Affordability, Food Systems, Sustainability A sustainable food system must deliver the bioavailable nutrients required to nourish the global population. However, not all possible food systems are practical. The optimal food system must therefore be a practical one. read more...