Sustainable Diets: Food for Healthy People and a Healthy Planet: Workshop Summary by Leslie Pray

Author:Leslie Pray
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The National Academies Press
Published: 2014-01-21T00:00:00+00:00

PANEL DISCUSSION WITH THE AUDIENCE

The presentations on price environment raised several questions about the synergies and trade-offs between health and the environmental for some fruits and vegetables; whether the slightly rising food prices should be of concern, given the stagnancy of U.S. wages; the push in the United States to permit large-scale offshore aquaculture in the Gulf of Mexico; the relationship between food prices and obesity; and the food and agricultural industry response to concerns about future climate change.

Fruits and Vegetables: Trade-Offs Between Health and the Environment

Not all foods that are good for people are good for the environment, an audience member observed. For example, the carbon footprint for some fruits and vegetables is higher than for starches and sugars. She asked the panelists to consider the challenges of such trade-offs. Wilde replied that he is “more optimistic” and that he views fruit and vegetable production as a “comparatively resource-efficient” way to obtain food. For fruits and vegetables without much caloric content, like celery, then, yes, considering how many resources are being used to produce 100 calories of celery, celery production does not seem environmentally sound. But no one eats celery for the calories. Many vegetables, like kale and dark leafy greens, are delivery vehicles for micronutrients, not calories. The fruits and vegetables consumed most frequently, including potatoes, tomatoes, apples, and bananas, have less environmental impact per unit of food produced, especially when compared to meat and other animal products.

Seaver observed that much of the environmental impact of fruit and vegetable production comes from transportation. He suggested freezing foods as a way to minimize greenhouse gas emissions. Richard Volpe agreed that transportation is a major concern and observed the rise in local and regional food systems across the United States.

Seaver also noted an important distinction between having an impact and having too much of an impact. Food production will always have an impact, and common foods like celery will always be part of the expected diet. Rather than demonizing carbon in its entirety, he encouraged finding ways to lessen the impact.

Rising Food Prices, Stagnant Wages

A participant commented on the slow but significant rise in food prices, especially given the stagnancy of U.S. wages. The participant asked the panelists to address this “slow but significant squeeze” and the fact that the food industry is among the lowest-wage-paying sectors. Volpe agreed that median wages across the economy have been fairly stagnant for a long time, while retail food prices have been increasing at about 2.5 to 3 percent annually during the last 20 years or so. That said, the rate of inflation for food prices has actually been slower than the rate of inflation overall. Only since around 2006-2007 has that trend shifted and a squeeze been observed (i.e., a greater proportion of income being spent on food). If the proportion of income spent on food continues to increase in the future, then there will be some real concerns.

With respect to the food industry being among the lowest-wage-paying sectors, Volpe agreed that, at the farm level, there is increasing concern that the farm share of the U.

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