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Our panel of international experts explores the relationship between food and culture and its impact on national dietary guidelines.
Introduction
by Carla MartinsHow has traditional Nordic cuisine been reframed by the New Nordic Food concept?
by Marie PerssonWhat role do imported, processed foods play in the Indonesian diet? How do traditional Indonesian foods and cultural dishes compare with imported, processed foods in terms of their impact on culture and affordability?
by Siti HalatiDoes placing more grocery stores in a community result in better diets?
by Anne PalmerI heard that slavery exists within the shrimp industry. Should I avoid all shrimp?
by Corey PeetWhy do the Brazilian dietary guidelines emphasize eating meals with others?
by Alessandro DemaioHow can eating indigenous foods be good for both health and climate?
by Carlo FaddaHow does eating locally connect me with my local food system?
by Alison Blay-PalmerHow does food marketing influence consumer food choices?
by Lana VanderleeWhy are cooking skills important to healthy, sustainable eating patterns?
by Julia WolfsonOur panel of international experts explores the relationship between food and culture and its impact on national dietary guidelines.
Introduction
Fischler, C. (2011). Commensality, society and culture. Social Science Information. 50(3–4) 528–548
Fischler, C. (2010). Gastro-nomy and gastro-anomy. The wisdom of the body and the biocultural crisis of modern eating. Gazeta de Antropología · Revista de Antropología Cultural, 26(1), 9
Poulain, J.-P. (2017). The Sociology of Food Eating and the Place of Food in Society. 1st ed. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN: 9781472586209
Professor
UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO RIO DE JANEIRO
Looking at the food choices people are making around the world is a great way to better understand diverse food cultures because each population has its own dynamic and diverse food culture patterns. These patterns reflect what each population understands as ”‘food,” how they produce foods, where they buy foods, what kind of food they prefer to buy, which dishes they have for meals, and with whom they share their meals.
In other words, even if eating and cooking are typical behaviors for people around the world, people eat and cook differently; our food choices are contextualized and are based on our food cultures.
Safe and nutritious foods that meet the diverse tastes and needs of individuals based on their cultural identities (e.g., people who identify with Muslim or Jewish religious traditions may want foods that are Halal or Kosher, respectively); since culture has many influences, it is also important to consider that each individual does not represent their entire culture.
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The Nordic diet is predominantly plant-based and locally sourced, thus ensuring more environmentally friendly production with reduced waste when consumed in the Nordic region.
Project Manager Swedish Food Strategy
TILLVÄXTVERKET
How has traditional Nordic cuisine been reframed by the New Nordic Food concept?
The Nordic diet is made up of potatoes, root vegetables, fish and shellfish, meat, berries, and fruits (e.g., apples and pears). While inspired by global influences, the modern Nordic food culture has seen somewhat of a revival in the use of traditional ingredients and preservation techniques in the past decade. The New Nordic Kitchen Manifesto was launched in 2004 by a group of chefs and included 10 basic principles. The modern New Nordic diet the manifesto described was predominantly plant-based and locally sourced, and the manifesto’s principles encouraged more sustainable methods of production. A renewed sense of pride in old varieties of grains and vegetables, as well as traditional preservation techniques such as drying, fermenting, smoking, salting, and pickling, reentered the food vocabulary in the Nordics. For more than a decade now, modern dishes have been invented using traditional foods and methods of preparation that add both culinary and economic value to our raw materials.
Building on the momentum created by the manifesto, new food policies and food culture projects have been implemented all around the Nordic region. In this way, the food culture change that started in the gastronomy sector has spread to school canteens, workplaces, and home cooks. In 2018, the WHO launched a high-profile report showing that the New Nordic diet is as healthy and sustainable as the Mediterranean diet. Compared to an average Western diet, the new Nordic diet contains less sugar and fat, but twice the amount of fiber and seafood.
In a continued evolution of the Nordic food culture, arguments around the environmental, climate, health, and animal welfare impacts of diets are taking center stage in the debate around food, and there is a growing movement towards more plant-based diets.
Edible aquatic animals and plants harvested from the sea or from freshwater (e.g., fish, shellfish) that provide a rich source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and various essential nutrients; incorporating into diets contributes to overall health; sustainable fishing practices are crucial for preserving marine ecosystems.
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Multi-disciplinary experts have indicated that the nutrition transition has negatively impacted diets, health, and the food environment in Indonesia. The experts described a disconnect between awareness about and adherence to healthy diets among Indonesians. They highlighted a marked generational divide in food preferences between the younger population (less than 40 years old) and the older population (over 40 years old), due to the nutrition transition.
Nutrition Officer
WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME
What role do imported, processed foods play in the Indonesian diet? How do traditional Indonesian foods and cultural dishes compare with imported, processed foods in terms of their impact on culture and affordability?
Even though Indonesia is rich in traditional cuisine with a variety of foods and dishes, many Indonesians welcome imported, processed foods such as deep-fried chicken, nuggets, burgers, and sausages. Since 1980, many fast-food restaurants that serve imported and processed foods have opened in Indonesia. Initially, they were only available in a few big cities, but now they are found in nearly all urban areas throughout the country.
People who consume these imported and processed foods are mainly middle- and upper-class people, not those experiencing poverty. Most young people like these foods, while older people prefer traditional Indonesian dishes.
The consumption of traditional Indonesian foods and cultural dishes by urban people in Indonesia is in decline, especially among young people, who are shifting to imported and processed foods that represent a lifestyle promoted by fast-food chains and other branding activities. Also, the imported and processed foods now served in fast-food restaurants are more affordable than the food from outlets that serve traditional Indonesian dishes (except traditional food sold by street vendors), but eating in those traditional restaurants is of less interest to young urban residents. It is even becoming more common for households in urban areas to prepare meals for their children with imported and processed foods such as chicken nuggets, fish sticks, and sausages.
Contrary to urban areas, people in rural areas still prepare traditional Indonesian dishes for their meals because imported and processed foods are less visible, less available, and too expensive.
A food that has gone through some process that alters it from its original state.
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Program Director, Food Communities & Public Health
JOHNS HOPKINS CENTER FOR A LIVABLE FUTURE
Does placing more grocery stores in a community result in better diets?
We know that placing supermarkets in a neighborhood without one can attract other retailers, provide jobs for residents, and even change people’s perceptions of food access in their community. We also know that most people shop outside of their neighborhood for food and don’t change what they are purchasing, even if they change shopping venues. Therefore, opening a new store alone is unlikely to have an impact on a shopper’s diet.
What causes people to change their food purchasing patterns or to have healthier purchasing behaviors? The most evident factor in changing purchasing is an increase in income, but people with more formal education and nutritional knowledge also tend to make healthier purchases. If we want to improve diets, we need to look at all the factors related to poor eating habits and work on them simultaneously.
The expansive concept is that all people have the ability and opportunity to grow and consume healthful, affordable, and culturally significant foods.
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Seafood Watch provides recommendations for most aquatic species, including shrimp.
Vice President
POSTELSIA
I heard that slavery exists within the shrimp industry. Should I avoid all shrimp?
The answer to this question is “no” because shrimp is a species that is both caught in the wild and farmed in ponds on every continent except Antarctica. It connects people all over the world via the dinner plate, and when harvested and produced sustainably, shrimp can provide good livelihoods and promote healthy coastal ecosystems (mainly for farmed shrimp). The problem has been that the seafood industry has not created appropriate incentives to move the industry forward in a sustainable way, and in fact, it has done the opposite. The current incentives in the seafood industry are for the lowest possible price, which drives out value. This strategy fails to account for the fact that shrimp is produced in many different ways and also fails to consider the opportunity to build a new value proposition for shrimp and create proper incentives for the true potential of the industry to be realized.
Providing benefits, services, and resources for workers beyond mere wages paid.
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The promotion of an adequate and healthy diet amounts to a set of strategies that aim to give everyone personal and social ways to eat well in biological, social, cultural, economic, and political aspects while also paying attention to the sustainable use of natural resources and environmental protection.
CEO of VicHealth
VICTORIAN HEALTH PROMOTION FOUNDATION
Why do the Brazilian dietary guidelines emphasize eating meals with others?
In an industrialized and fast-paced world, the types of foods we eat and how we eat them are increasingly driven by convenience andperpetuated by pervasive marketing of unhealthy ultra-processed foods, ready-made foods, and meal delivery services. We no longer place the same value on preparing and cooking a nourishing meal from scratch, and this has also led to a loss of opportunities for social connection.
Brazil’s dietary guidelines take a simple approach to food and nutrition and prompt us to slow down and enjoy foods with others that are respectful of the environment. Taking what was a complex narrative of nutrient measurements and creating a set of food principles that are more accessible, more intuitive, and more holistic. The guidelines prompt us to consider food in the context of family, society, and environmental sustainability, and its principles intend to shift food cultures and our foodways. The way we eat and who we eat with are given equal importance to what we eat, recognizing that food and the social practices that surround food are powerful opportunities that have the potential to nourish and connect people.
Brazil’s golden rule in its dietary guidelines is something that we should all aspire to – always opt for natural or minimally processed foods and freshly made dishes and meals to ultra-processed foods.
Evidence-based recommendations are provided by health authorities or governments to guide individuals in making informed dietary choices that promote overall health and prevent chronic diseases; guidelines offer advice on various aspects of nutrition, including the types and amounts of foods to consume, physical activity recommendations, and strategies for maintaining a balanced diet.
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Indigenous foods are often cultivated using traditional and sustainable agricultural practices. These practices contribute to biodiversity conservation, soil health, and reduced reliance on synthetic inputs.
Research Director, Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture
ALLIANCE BIOVERSITY & CIAT
How can eating indigenous foods be good for both health and climate?
Eating indigenous food addresses many issues related to the food system’s impact on climate, environment, biodiversity, and health. Indigenous food is produced locally and consumed locally; thus, it reduces the environmental cost of transport. Indigenous food is adapted to local conditions and prevalent pests and diseases; thus, it requires limited use of fertilizers and application of pesticides, limiting GHG emissions and environmental pollution. This is particularly true for local varieties of major crops, such as maize, rice, and wheat, which will also be better conserved if they are used more. Indigenous foods, particularly local fruits, nuts, pulses, and vegetables, are diverse and generally nutritious. Considering that malnutrition is primarily related to low consumption of fruits and vegetables, eating more of these food types can reduce the incidence of malnutrition and save lives. Eating indigenous food can protect biodiversity: out of 7,000 species humanity could consume, 15 species provide 90% of the world’s food energy intake, and three, rice, maize, and wheat, provide 66% of the total energy. Thus, eating more indigenous food means an incentive to use more species in production systems. Eating indigenous food can provide incentives for farming communities to diversify their production systems, making them more resilient to climate change and more ecologically sound, attracting more birds and insect species, thus contributing to biodiversity conservation and the provision of ecosystem services. Eating indigenous food provides a different gastronomic experience, giving you pleasure, which can improve well-being and support the livelihood of local communities.
Knowledge embedded in the cultural traditions of an indigenous community (e.g., language, natural resource use practices, social interactions, spirituality).
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Eating locally connects individuals with their local food system by reducing the distance food travels, thereby supporting local farmers, promoting regional agriculture, and decreasing the environmental impact associated with long-distance transportation. A statistic from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) stated that “the average meal travels approximately 1,500 miles from farm to plate.“
Chair in Food Biodiversity and Sustainability Studies
UNESCO
Eating locally connects me to my local food system in so many wonderful ways. I know more about the people who grow my food, and sometimes I meet them myself. I have access to fresher food, and I know how it is grown or produced. Buying local food lets me support farmers who are in my food community and keep the money close to home. It also lets me help the environment as I can buy food from people who grow or make things that tread as lightly as possible on the planet so we have better soil and more biodiversity. Local food lets me do something immediately to help the world, so that gives me a concrete thing to do in this time of so many pressures.
Food products that are produced, processed, and often sold within a specific geographic region or community; supports regional economies, reduces transportation-related carbon footprints, provides consumers with fresh and seasonal produce, and fosters connections between producers and consumers; emphasizing local foods is part of sustainable and community-oriented food systems.
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Experimental studies have consistently shown that children exposed to food advertising prefer and choose advertised food products more frequently than those who are not exposed to such ads. Studies on the food purchase requests of children under the age of 11 have also found strong associations between the hours of television children watch, the frequency of requests to their parents for advertised foods, and the availability of advertised food items in their homes.
Assistant Professor
L’ ÉCOLE DE NUTRITION – UNIVERSITÉ LAVAL
How does food marketing influence consumer food choices?
There are many ways that food marketing influences dietary choices, particularly among young people. The amount of food marketing we are exposed to is substantial, especially for children and adolescents. In 2016, the food industry in the U.S. spent approximately $13.5 billion advertising food across all forms of media, which translates into a huge amount of exposure to advertising. In the US, children are exposed to around 10-11 food ads per day, which means they see several thousand ads promoting less healthy food choices per year. Children are particularly vulnerable to promotions and advertisements, as they are not able to understand and process the persuasive messaging that is present in most food advertising. Research has shown us that advertising for less healthy food increases children’s preferences for these foods and also increases children’s requests to purchase those food items. Known as ‘pester power,”this strategy ultimately influences parents’ food purchases. Marketing works, and protecting children from unhealthy food messaging now is a priority identified by the World Health Organization and others to help improve dietary choices and create a healthier food environment for everyone.
The activity or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising.
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The percentage of total household food dollars spent on food eaten away from home is now higher compared to 30 years ago (33% in 1970 to 47% in 2010.
Associate Professor
JOHNS HOPKINS BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Why are cooking skills important to healthy, sustainable eating patterns?
Cooking meals at home, particularly from scratch or less processed ingredients, is associated with lower overall energy intake, greater fruit and vegetable consumption, and better diet quality. As the food environment has become dominated by fast food and highly processed, energy-dense options, cooking meals at home has become a key recommendation for healthy eating. But, for many people, cooking healthy meals on a daily basis is difficult given the busy lives we lead today. Cooking is a very complex behavior that encompasses multiple interrelated skills and capacities, including planning, budgeting, time management, organizational skills, perceptual skills, and technical cooking skills. It is, therefore, important to develop the skills and capacities to prepare meals that do not rely on highly processed ingredients; doing so can have benefits for diet quality, diet-related health outcomes such as diabetes, and depending on what foods people cook (e.g., plant-based meals), potentially for the health of the planet as well.
Advocating for a connection between the foods on one's plate and their place of origin; underscores the importance of supporting local and regional agriculture, reducing food miles, and fostering a sustainable food system; by understanding where our food comes from, we can make choices that benefit local economies, reduce environmental impact, and promote food security.
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Full-time employed mothers reported fewer family meals, less frequent encouragement of their adolescents’ healthful eating, lower fruit and vegetable intake, and less time spent on food preparation, compared to part-time and not-employed mothers, after adjusting for socio-demographics.
Professor
UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH, CANADA
How do our busy lifestyles impact our food choices for us and our families?
Balancing paid work, household work, and parenting responsibilities is a challenge for many families across the globe. And this challenge of balancing work with family and other life commitments has been shown to influence our food choices. A study of over 3700 parents found that parents who report higher conflict between work and family commitments report fewer family meals and higher intake of fast food, as compared to parents with lower work-family conflict. Lack of time is one of the most commonly reported barriers to choosing healthful foods and is associated with higher intakes of fast food as well as convenience or prepared meals. Policy approaches to provide greater flexibility over work hours and location, as well as improved childcare access and affordability, including before and after school care, could ease parents’ struggle of balancing work and family, which could improve the overall well-being of families while also improving their food choices.
The practice or skill of preparing food by combining, mixing, and heating ingredients.
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In 2022, food spending by U.S. consumers, businesses, and government entities totaled $2.39 trillion after a sharp decline in 2020 in which the food market was disrupted by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the recession.
Culinary Nutrition Director
BMC TEACHING KITCHEN
Why is it that fewer people know how to cook than before?
I think it’s because people want life to be frictionless — or as frictionless as possible. We strive for automation in our lives to minimize the effort and cognition needed to complete daily tasks. Our phone wakes us up in the morning, navigates us through our commitments, and delivers us food at the end of a long day with a simple swipe. Cooking, on the other hand, creates friction. It takes time, effort, and thought– the antithesis of society’s efforts to automate. So when we swipe for food, we reduce that friction and feel satisfied by convenience. In short, cooking creates friction. Meal delivery does not.
Professor
UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA
Food skills are critical to healthy eating, as people with adequate cooking and shopping skills tend to have better diets, which leads to better overall health. However, ever-expanding markets of ultra-processed foods, fast food, and app-based meal delivery make developing food skills, like cooking with less-processed ingredients, seem unnecessary. Further, many children are not learning sufficient food skills at home or at school, where programs such as home economics have been eroded in recent decades. In Canada, 30% of food expenditures are made from restaurants. In the United States, almost 50% of food expenditures are on food “away from home.” Lack of food skills also contributes to food waste: Canadian and American consumers throw out about 180 kg of food each year! Cooking should be considered an essential life skill, social skill, and health promotion strategy. Taking time to plan meals, learn some healthy recipes, and teach our kids these skills is time well invested. It will save money, the planet, and your health!
Formal or informal learning experiences focused on improving food preparation and cooking skills; encompasses a range of topics, including culinary techniques, nutrition, menu planning, and kitchen management; can be acquired through culinary schools, apprenticeships, workshops, or through self-directed learning.
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Families spend less time eating meals together. Only 55% of married parents and 47% of single parents eat breakfast daily with their preschool-age child.
Director Food Culture
MADKULTUREN
What are the benefits of families eating together?
There are several and considerable benefits of families eating together. In general, when we eat together, the food we eat is healthier, and it tastes better. Eating together has a positive influence on our well-being. The same can be said for family meals. Studies show that children from families who often eat together will eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Children from families who eat together less often will drink more sweet drinks, eat more unhealthy snacks, and eat more high-fat foods. There can be different explanations for these benefits. Some point out that eating together involves a more stringent social regulation of the type and quantity of food eaten. Others think that eating together is an occasion for exchanging norms and attitudes in general and to speak about what we eat and why we eat it. Eating together as a family serves other purposes as well. For many families, the family meal is a recurrent, recognizable, structured, and socializing event with formative and educative functions. To many, the family meal thus becomes a critical element for building and maintaining the family. The family meal helps organize the day, and family meals influence both mental and physical health, as eating together creates stronger family ties and a stronger sense of belonging. Eating home- cooked meals together as a family is also the most widespread ideal for meals in Denmark. However, lack of time and energy in everyday life can be an obstacle to the home-cooked family meal. One way of overcoming this might be to involve and engage the children in the cooking.
Ensuring fair and just access to nutritious and culturally appropriate food for all individuals, regardless of socio-economic or demographic factors; addresses systemic disparities in food access, distribution, and availability by recognizing and dismantling barriers that contribute to inequities; promotes a more inclusive and just food system.
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According to a study conducted by the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services in 2020, the retail environment influences 60% of consumers’ food purchasing decisions.
Research Data Manager
JOHNS HOPKINS CENTER FOR A LIVABLE FUTURE
How does the retail environment affect what food we buy?
The retail environment is made up of a complex set of physical, economic, social, and cultural factors that influence where we shop for food and what kinds of food we purchase and eat. Some of these factors include proximity to food, affordability of food, available food options, marketing and advertising, government policies, cultural norms, and market forces. The retail environment, however, is only part of the equation. Individual and household income, education, and personal preferences also factor into the decisions we make about what food to buy.
The extent to which a person or household has the financial capacity to purchase or access a product, service, or basic necessity without facing undue financial burden; often measured relative to the local economy in a given place.
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Snacks are a staple of the American diet, accounting for roughly a quarter (22%) of total energy intake among adults.
Research Impact Manager
OXFORD BROOKES UNIVERSITY
How has snacking become such a large part of global food culture and how does it undermine the fight against undernutrition?
Changing food environments in the context of globalization, increased time pressures, and the unaffordability of nutritious foods are driving demand for quick, convenient foods to procure, prepare, and consume. Recent decades have seen an increase in commercially-produced snack foods in LMICs. Foreign direct investment (FDI) has mechanized international food businesses to enter these new markets. While many of the favored snacks in LMICs (such as fruit) are healthier than those dominant in MEDCs, high-sugar, salty, and fatty snacks are increasingly consumed. Energy-rich, micronutrient‐poor snack foods consumed early in life can displace more nutritious foods, including breast milk. Overconsumption of unhealthy snacks presents a substantial risk of micronutrient dilution, which contributes to all forms of malnutrition in LMICs. Where unhealthy snacks are readily available and affordable, they are seen as a desirable and convenient source of calories. Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to aggressive marketing during a dynamic period of growth and development, which determines their health outcomes as adults. Food companies target people under 20 years old online through web pages and social media. Schools providing access to sugary, high-fat snacks and beverages and restaurants providing an appealing social environment for young people may also be contributing to the rising intake of snack foods.
Also referred to as bad nutrition, malnutrition occurs when a person has too few or too many nutrients; can be due to undernutrition, nutrient deficiency, or due to obesity and resulting diet-related non-communicable diseases.
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Globally, one person in three is malnourished today, and one in two could be malnourished by 2030 if nothing is done.
Senior Director of Culinary, Menu Systems and CSR
SODEXO
How do you incentivize foodservice to improve their offerings? Why is only fast food available in some food environments?
The short answer to why there is only fast food in underserved urban communities can be traced back to President Lyndon Johnson, who, in the wake of the Watts Riots in 1965, sent the Small Business Administration to investigate the economic root cause. The SBA, along with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, chose to focus on fostering minority entrepreneurship to drive local employment and morale. Unfortunately, the outlet for the funding attached to this initiative was fast food franchises. And while providing an outlet for local minority-owned businesses and employment, it did significant damage to the dietary patterns in those neighborhoods. Coupled with substantial amounts of marketing dollars aimed at urban populations to keep sales up, cracking the code to healthier options is almost impossible.
The only way to incentivize healthier choices is to literally incentivize the restaurants selling food in those neighborhoods to serve something healthier. Operating a restaurant leads to small profit margins. R&D is expensive, and no organization is willing to put lots of capital into a new menu offer that isn’t reasonably guaranteed to succeed. Providing the funding to dive into marketing in these areas, to create healthier options that are culturally relevant to the local population, and then to do targeted marketing within those communities is the only way to create systemic change.
The availability and affordability of nutritious and culturally appropriate foods for individuals and communities; involves factors such as geographical proximity to food sources, economic accessibility, and the presence of diverse and healthy food options; ensuring food access is crucial for addressing food insecurity and promoting overall well-being in populations.
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Emphasizing whole, minimally processed ingredients and reducing added sugars may help lower the risk of chronic diseases, and choosing local, seasonal produce helps reduce the carbon footprint associated with food transportation, contributing to lower environmental impact.
Director of Culinary
FOOD+ BY COMPASS
The “PF – Prato Feito” is one of the most consumed dishes by Brazilians when eating out. How can the Brazilian “PF” get healthier and more sustainable?
The “PF” is commonly known as “the worker’s meal” and is a fully balanced meal to nourish workers throughout the day. It is composed of 1 portion of grains (white rice), 1 portion of pulse (beans), 1 portion of vegetable (salad green with tomato and onion), and 1 portion of animal protein (beef steak). All of these elements are featured at the same time, and each represents 1/4 of each plate (although the ratio can vary depending on the region, but ingredients and categories do not change). The “PF” could be healthier and more sustainable if chefs start looking at this common and well-known dish with the same mindset used at high-end meals, aiming not to standardize but to approach it from a seasonal and local perspective: introducing more variety for Brazilians on a daily basis, naturally balancing ingredient costs by leveraging the local economy, and buying more from family and small producers. The outcome would be an amazing increase in nutritional facts and flavor, as selected ingredients would be at the peak of the flavor and nutrients.
Edible items that provide a high level of essential nutrients to support overall health and well-being, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and dairy products; offer a balanced mix of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and other beneficial compounds; fundamental for maintaining a healthy and well-rounded diet.
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The experience of the National School Feeding Program (PNAE, for its acronym in Portuguese) in Brazil has been recognized for over 60 years, especially by developing countries, as a point of reference for its sustainability, quality, progress, and challenges.
Professor
UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO RIO DE JANEIRO
Why has the Brazilian school feeding program (PNAE) been a great ally to achieve fairer, healthier and more sustainable food systems?
The Brazilian school-feeding program (In Portuguese: Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar – PNAE) has been a great ally in achieving fairer, healthier, and more sustainable food systems because it combines a public policy to guarantee healthy and sustainable eating at school. At the same time, the program also provides a strategy to value and protect the family farmer’s work. Protected by the law, the acquisition of foods to prepare the menus of every public school in Brazil needs to be at least 30% produced by family farmers (preferably organic farmers). This strategy has been a strong initiative to protect the local food systems, promote the population’s health, and provide nutritional education through school meals.
Often built with the help of parents, school departments, and even community members, school gardens are maintained by students as a way to reconnect students with the natural world and the true source of their food, and to teach them valuable gardening and agriculture concepts and skills that integrate with their school subjects, as well as several educational goals, including personal and social responsibility.
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The Lexicon’s short film series “Know Your Food,” produced for PBS, comprises 24 short films about sustainability in food and farming. One of these films is about Community-Supported Agriculture (CSAs). Watch it here.
Founder
ANGELIC ORGANICS
What are CSAs and how can they increase our access to fresh produce?
When you join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Farm, you are entering into a deep relationship with the earth through the fresh, local, nutritious food that you receive. To join, you purchase a share of the summer’s harvest, thus becoming a shareholder. You then receive a box every week (or every other week) of the freshest seasonal produce during the harvest season. (There are many variations on the CSA model today — exclusively vegetables, vegetables, and other foods such as meat and dairy, sometimes referred to as full diet CSA; customized shares; non-customized shares; pre-pay for your share or pay over time, etc.)
Your food will reside in a richer context than if you simply buy it from a store; it comes from a farm of which you are a part. As your food grows, it experiences weather that you learn about from your farmer. It grows in soil on your farm that you can visit. You not only experience your food more fully when you join a CSA, but you also experience the earth more fully because you are now a part of a farm. Fresh and local are great attributes of food, but being aware of the journey that your food takes from seed to table will make the experience of your food even richer.
Seasonal food is produce that is purchased and consumed around the time that it is harvested.
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You can learn more about local food insecurity by exploring data from Feeding America’s annual Map the Meal Gap study.
Senior Director of Strategic Planning
FEEDING AMERICA
What role do food banks have in addressing hunger?
Through a network of 200 food banks that reach every county in the United States, Feeding America is providing food assistance to more than 40 million people each year. A food bank is a non-profit organization that collects and distributes food to hunger relief charities. Food banks accept, sort, and store large-scale donations, which are broken down for distribution through smaller front-line agencies. While some food banks offer direct service programs, they usually do not give out food directly to people struggling with hunger. Food banks partner with food pantries, meal programs, and shelters and operate their own food distribution programs to provide nourishment to families, individuals, children, and seniors.
Food banks in the U.S. and across the world are very diverse – from small operations serving people spread out across large rural areas to very large facilities that store and distribute many millions of pounds of food each year and everything in between. A variety of factors impact how food banks work, from the size of the facility to the number of staff members. But one thing all food banks have in common is that they rely on donors and volunteers to carry out their day-to-day operations.
Food banks may also offer other services or serve as a central hub for referrals to other services such as federal nutrition assistance programs, job skills training, financial literacy programs, after-school programs, or health care referrals. They also raise awareness about hunger in their communities and work with elected officials to support policies that help people facing hunger.
Also referred to as undernourishment, hunger is a feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by a lack of food, coupled with the desire to eat. When this happens on a regular basis, the person suffers from chronic hunger and cannot lead a normal, healthy life. Different metrics are used to measure hunger. For example, the Prevalence of Undernourishment (PoU) assesses people’s access to food.
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Spending on food increased 12.7% in 2022, compared to an increase of 13.4% in 2021. The increase was driven by increased “food away from home” spending, which was up 20.1%, accompanied by the rise in food at home spending, which increased 8.4%. Expenditures for food away from home in 2022 exceeded 2019 levels, marking the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic that this has happened.
Senior Program Officer – Food Communities and Public Health
JOHNS HOPKINS CENTER FOR A LIVABLE FUTURE
What are the greatest food access challenges that people face?
Improving access to healthy food for a large portion of Americans is a complicated problem due to the interrelationship between accessibility, affordability, and availability. These three A’s are central to a web of factors that further complicate the issue. Factors like the quality, type, and seasonality of available food; the availability of foods that are culturally acceptable or meet dietary needs; the cleanliness, safety, hospitality, and hours of operation of food retailers; individual taste; the modes of transportation available to get to a food retailer; the household income and cost of living of a person; the race or ethnicity of a person; and where a person lives. Improving access to healthy food by looking at only one factor is an ineffectual long-term solution.
However, that is how we use policy to improve food access: piecemeal. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest and most effective US program to address food insecurity. Yet, the program mostly solves only one problem: the affordability of food. SNAP provides an immediate solution but does not address the underlying reasons why families cannot afford food or why healthy food costs more than highly processed foods. We need a new approach to policy that puts the needs of the people with the greatest hardship in accessing healthy food at the center of the solution. We need an approach that starts with honoring the dignity and well-being of people. We need an approach that is flexible and yet comprehensive to recognize that the interrelationship of factors that impact food access varies by place.
Increased food availability and affordability.
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Norway, Sweden, and Denmark have been working together since 2007 to develop and implement a joint Nordic nutrition label – the Keyhole. The label certifies that the product has met specific requirements for salt, sugar, fat, and fiber content. The aim is to make it easier for consumers to find and choose healthier foods.
Professor
UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND
What measures have been taken in the Nordic countries (e.g. in food, health and nutrition policy) to respond to negative health impacts driven by a more globalized unhealthy diet?
The measures have been different, but the Nordic countries, mainly with the support from the Nordic Council of Ministers, have also worked together on many solutions, and their action plans on nutrition bear similarities. The Nordic Dietary Recommendations form, in part, the basis of Nordic Nutrient Recommendations as well as Food-Based Dietary Guidelines in all the Nordic countries. These guidelines are very similar, recommending plant-based healthy whole foods for improved public health, with a focus on Nordic Food. The guidelines are aimed at the general population but are also in use in governmental institutions where food is offered, such as in kindergartens and schools and elderly care. The Nordic countries have also worked together towards the Keyhole, a simple front of packaging nutritional labels put on products adhering to a certain nutritional standard. Other Nordic projects, such as the New Nordic Food project, took an approach to local, sustainable, nutritious, and delicious food, casting Nordic Food as a gastronomic, cultural adventure. There has also been some focus on commensality, the importance of the cooking, and the meal as a happy social event. This shift has also given ways to new nutrition education in schools that focuses on smelling and tasting as well as hands-on food growing. Some of the Nordic countries have been using food policies, such as the taxation of sugar, to tackle the flood of unhealthy food, and all countries have set up a ban on the advertisement of unhealthy food to children, although implemented in different ways. There have also been public-private and civil society partnerships on changes in food production, differing in depth and endpoints, as well as various voluntary nutrition commitments. Together, all these measures have broadened the range of healthy food in stores.
Furthermore, all the Nordic countries monitor the diet of their populations on different levels and research the effect of food eaten on health. However, today, a minority eats according to the Nordic diet guidelines. Some larger cities have made their own policies. Policies, whether governmental or local, are easier to set than designing, funding, initiating, accomplishing, and evaluating different projects. Many of the above measures could be used more efficiently, and there is definitely room for even more productive and diverse public health nutrition measures. The future will reveal the fruits of these.
Food banks in the U.S. and across the world are very diverse – from small operations serving people spread out across large rural areas to very large facilities that store and distribute many millions of pounds of food each year and everything in between. A variety of factors impact how food banks work, from the size of the facility to the number of staff members. But, one thing all food banks have in common is that they rely on donors and volunteers to carry out their day-to-day operations.
Food banks may also offer other services or serve as a central hub for referrals to other services such as federal nutrition assistance programs, job skills training, financial literacy programs, after-school programs, or health care referrals. They also raise awareness about hunger in their communities and work with elected officials to support policies that help people facing hunger.
A non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough food to avoid hunger; usually operates through intermediaries like food pantries and soup kitchens; some food banks distribute food directly with their food pantries.
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