Psychosocial Basis of a Sustainable Food Pyramid

Drawing on FAO’s definition of “sustainable diet”, we propose a “sustainable food pyramid” (SFP) which aims to eradicate malnutrition, promote health and protect the environment. These aspirational objectives require changes in the productive system, eating habits of the population, and rebalancing power relations between all actors in the food chain. This study addresses the psychosocial attitudes and food behaviours entrenched within the SFP, based on scientific consensus on the environmental and nutritional benefits of reducing the consumption of red and processed meat. A review of the evolution of traditional food choice questionnaires and surveys on current food concerns and behavioural intentions is presented. The results reveal that ideals of safety, health and morals, inherent to any food culture, still prevail despite the unprecedented contemporary access to food; this is shown by the fast-growing concern for personal (safety and health) and ethical consequences (malnourished farmers, water footprint, climate change, animal welfare). A growing number of consumers are increasingly interested in adapting their diets to the SFP’s values, an opportunity that should be addressed through public recommendations to support a turn towards a more sustainable diet. We highlight the need for a social recognition of those non-vegetarian individuals who intend to reduce their meat consumption and recognize this new trending food identity. Public strategies should, therefore, be backed by empirically-based research. *Corresponding author: Jordi Pich, Department of Psychology, University of Balearic Islands, Cra. de Valldemossa km 7.5. 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain; E-mail: [email protected] Citation: Pich, J., et al. Psychosocial Basis of a Sustainable Food Pyramid. (2016) J Environ Health Sci 2(5): 14. Psychosocial Basis of a Sustainable Food Pyramid Jordi Pich1*, Miquel Jaume2 Received date: July 26, 2016 Accepted date: December 01, 2016 Published date: December 08, 2016 DOI: 10.15436/2378-6841.16.1024 economically fair and affordable; nutritionally adequate, safe and healthy; while optimizing natural and human resources”. In so doing, a three-level sustainable food pyramid (SFP) may be proposed, where policies to eradicate malnutrition stand at its base, healthy food consumption habits are promoted and, finally, environmental protection is introduced. As regard to the top of the SFP, the (WBG, 2015), encourages a Climate-Smart Agriculture approach to improve agricultural productivity, increase resilience to climate change and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Besides remarking the issues of polluting and overusing of existing water supplies, the (WRI, 2015), highlights the significance of the social basis of the SFP