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Sustainable Diets

How Ecological Nutrition Can Transform Consumption and the Food System

Pamela Mason author Tim Lang author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd

Published:30th Mar '17

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

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Sustainable Diets cover

This insightful book examines the need for sustainable eating practices, emphasizing a balanced approach to nutrition, health, and environmental concerns. Sustainable Diets addresses the complexities of food systems.

In Sustainable Diets, the authors present a comprehensive multi-criteria framework aimed at fostering sustainable eating practices. They emphasize the importance of balancing nutrition and public health with environmental, socio-cultural, economic, and governance considerations. This balanced approach seeks to address the complex challenges of feeding large populations in a way that is both healthy and equitable while safeguarding the ecosystems that support life.

The book delves into the pressing question of how to nourish vast populations affordably and healthily, all while maintaining the delicate balance of our planet's ecosystems. As awareness of the significant impact of dietary choices on public health and the environment grows, the authors highlight the difficulties in altering food supply chains, consumer behaviors, and economic frameworks. The text serves as a call to action for policymakers and stakeholders to rethink their strategies and embrace sustainable practices.

Ultimately, Sustainable Diets explores the critical need for a shift towards sustainable eating in the Anthropocene, an era characterized by human influence on the planet. By providing a structured six-pronged approach to sustainable diets, the authors aim to clarify what can often seem like an overwhelming and complex issue. They argue that all participants in the food system—governments, producers, civil society, and consumers—must collaborate to address the challenges of (un)sustainable diets, paving the way for a healthier future.

"Lang, the former Professor of Food Policy at City University, London, has devoted much of his distinguished career to thinking about and lobbying governments for sustainable food. Pamela Mason is a public health nutritionist from Wales with an MSc in food policy. Together, they have produced a work of brilliant synthesis which convincingly argues that the question of sustainable diets is the most urgent in food today. With meticulous scholar­ship and in clear prose, they lay out the multitude of ways in which modern diets are unsustainable and what interventions might be needed to improve the situation." - Bee Wilson, in The Times Literary Supplement (June 2017)

"Sustainable Diets by Mason and Lang is a highly detailed book full of brick-solid data on the most important food subject of today (and tomorrow). It is a really essential reference for all dietitians who want to participate in discussions and debates on food choices for the future." - Ursula Arens, in NHD (Network Health Digest) magazine (July 2017)

"There are only a handful of academincs researching food policy. This book contains the work of two such experts. The book is full of compelling statistics, life examples, and comparisons of evidence from around the globe which illustrate that our current food system is unsustainable." - Kiri Elliott, inDietetics Today (July 2017).

"This path-breaking book situates the thorny issue of diets firmly within what has been called the Anthropocene—the era of human-induced changes to the planet ... The strengths of this book are many. It is original and timely, using the ample evidence provided as a springboard for developing their ideas about "ecological nutrition"... Overall, Mason and Lang emphasize that "what humanity eats has major impacts on public health, the economy, the environment and the future" (p. 10). This is undeniably true and the sooner we act on this realization, the better. Sustainable Diets is one blueprint to get us there." - Jennifer Sumner, in Canadian Food Studies (December 2017).

"Sustainable diets are complex. The recently released Sustainable Diets offers a comprehensive study on sustainable diets through extensive analyses of relevant and disparate bodies of literature. Known also as respected authorities and ardent advocates for sustainable food systems, authors Mason and Lang meticulously document the subtle and complex factors of quality, health, environment, social values, economy and governance. They urge readers and system actors to distinguish ‘values-for-money’ rather than ‘value for money’." - Kathleen Kevany, Dalhousic University, Truro, Canada

ISBN: 9780415744706

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 840g

354 pages