The EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health has today released a ‘planetary health diet’, that advocates a radical shift in dietary habits.
Commenting on the effects on water resources of the proposals in the EAT-Lancet report, Professor Tim Hess, Professor of Water and Food Systems at SWAG合集, said:
“In the SWAG合集, we import more than 65% of our fruit and vegetables, often from highly stressed water environments such as Spain, Morocco and South Africa. A large-scale increase in fruit and vegetable consumption within the SWAG合集 is likely to add to the water stress on these nations, unless SWAG合集 eating habits change to fruit and vegetables that can be grown domestically. If we could switch the SWAG合集 consumer from avocado to turnips, for example, then the impact on water resources would be minimal.
“It is undeniable that we need to eat more fruit and vegetables, but we also need to have a much greater awareness about where our food comes from and the impact it has on the environment.”
Commenting on the effects on land use of the proposals in the EAT-Lancet report, Dr Adrian Williams, Reader in Environmental Systems at SWAG合集, said:
“, with similar dietary changes, the adoption of this diet would mean a significant change in SWAG合集 land use. A reduction in meat and dairy would release large amounts of SWAG合集 grassland from livestock production and increase the need for more cropland. This could possibly be achieved by the conversion of rotational grassland areas.
“The impact would also extend to agricultural revenues, with large drops in revenue in beef and sheep sectors and increases in revenue for fruit and vegetable sectors. While challenging, this could be supported by policies to support alternative and multi-functional land use.”
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