Abstract
This study examined what kind of policy instruments and actions are needed for sustainable dietary change and how a large-scale dietary change would impact the climate, thus analysing the economic impacts of transitioning from animal-based diets to alternative plant-based diets. The transition would require the support of horizontal measures that can be implemented throughout the food system. Shifting the emphasis toward the drivers of food demand and consumption will increase the role of new policy instruments and the actors involved in the food system. Collaborative research between environmental and nutritional sciences with economics and policy analysis is necessary to link nutritional health and environmental objectives with economic and social impacts. Less resource-demanding diets would reduce the impact from the food system and lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Drastic changes in diets and food consumption in Finland would have an impact on primary agricultural production, but the output from the food processing industry would only be slightly affected. However, a successful transition would involve considerable investments in the agricultural and food industry.
Highlights
The food system is a contributing force to climate change, biodiversity loss, the depletion of freshwater resources, unsustainable changes in land use, and the pollution of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems through excessive inputs of nitrogen and phosphorus via fertilisers and manure
Shifting the emphasis toward the drivers of food demand and consumption will increase the role of new policy instruments and the actors involved in the food system
Sustainable dietary change would require the support of horizontal policy measures that can be implemented throughout the food system
Summary
The food system is a contributing force to climate change, biodiversity loss, the depletion of freshwater resources, unsustainable changes in land use, and the pollution of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems through excessive inputs of nitrogen and phosphorus via fertilisers and manure. A synergistic combination of measures will be needed to effectively mitigate climate change and environmental pressures from the food system. There is growing scientific evidence that climate change mitigation and adaptation in the food system necessitates developing more sustainable and resource-efficient production methods and technologies, and changing diets and tackling food loss and waste (Godfray et al 2010, Reisch et al 2013, Springmann et al 2018, IPCC 2019, Willett et al 2019). Global ruminant numbers could be decreased to make a substantial contribution to climate change mitigation goals and yield important social and environmental co-benefits (Ripple et al 2014)
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