Sustainable Consumption of Food

Abstract

One of the key areas for lifestyle change in the interest of sustainable consumption is the household diet. This paper identifies concrete scenarios for dietary alternatives to high calorie diets rich in fats and sugars, based on the specialized nutrition literature, that are likely to have salutary impact on both the environment and the personal quality of life. Rough estimates of the substantial implications for agriculture of a moderate diet-change scenario are discussed. The paper then describes an approach to more systematic quantitative analysis of alternative dietary scenarios through the integration of life-cycle analysis and an input-output model of the world economy that captures likely effects of shifting comparative advantage in agriculture. Vested interests that might resist these kinds of dietary changes are identified, and approaches are suggested for enlisting their support or countering their opposition.