Sustainable food as a health issue. By Dr Clare Pettinger and Liz Atherton, UK Dietitians
The food we eat and the way it is produced directly impacts the environment and our health. As dietitians we are in a unique position to be promoting sustainable dietary patterns.
Liz Atherton explained the challenges posed by our current globalised food system.
- Malnutrition affects one out of three people globally
- Over one billion people who work in agriculture live below the poverty line
- Accountable for 20-30% human produced greenhouse gas emissions
- Major driver of deforestation, biodiversity loss, water use and pollution...
- Farming systems contribute to antibiotic resistance
Dr Clare Pettinger provided practical strategies so that we can move from thinking about sustainability to engaging and promoting sustainability in our practice.
She focused on three areas:
1. As individuals,
Improve our own knowledge
Network with other dietitians who are interested in the area
Role model sustainable practice
Think about sustainability beyond food
2. As a dietetic profession
Lobby for change in policy & legislation
Provide innovative leadership and direction
Work with others cross-sector partnerships
3. Up skilling as educators.
Review curriculum design and professional standards of education with regard to sustainability and food equality
Extend remit of evidence based practice. We need to change now. We don’t always need to wait for the studies.
Use our CPD to upskill in the issues and share our learning
About the Presenters
Dr Clare Pettinger is a Registered Dietitian, Public Health Nutritionist and experienced lecturer. She has an interest in food justice and the 'future of food' and is currently leading a research project 'Food as a Lifestyle Motivator' (FLM), which explores creative methods to engage 'marginalized' communities in food activities to enhance their health, well-being and life skills.
Clare is an inspired and informed educator and dedicated 'sustainability champion', currently leading pioneering research to ‘explore the importance of ‘sustainability principles’ for dietetic practice and how to streamline these into the dietetic curriculum’. Clare believes strongly that new approaches are required to tackle current local and global health and social wellbeing challenges.
Elizabeth Atherton:
Elizabeth is a registered dietitian and has a masters in public health. She currently works at Medact, a global public health charity, as the Sustainable Food Systems, Diets and Health Project Manager. This involves developing and implementing a set of four inter-connected projects aimed at promoting healthy, sustainable and ethical food systems, as well as reducing levels of unhealthy and unsustainable meat and dairy consumption.
To register for this free recording click here