Diet

The Food and Climate Connection

by Frances Mortimer | Wed, 18/08/2010 - 13:36
Published by: 
WhyHunger
Resource type: 
video
Brief description: 
This film looks at the impact of climate change on agriculture in the developing world and the contribution that industrialised food systems make to global GHG emissions. It comes at the issue very much from the food sovereignty/food justice perspective.
External URL: 
http://whyhunger.org/programs/fslc/topics/climate-change-a-the-food-system.html
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Lancet: Tackling Climate Change Good for Health

by Frances Mortimer | Tue, 01/12/2009 - 20:23

The health benefits of strategies for tackling climate change were described as "a convenient truth" at the launch of groundbreaking research published by the Lancet last week.

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Population adiposity and climate change

by Frances Mortimer | Sun, 31/05/2009 - 10:32
Author: 
Phil Edwards and Ian Roberts
Journal name: 
International Journal of Epidemiology
Volume & page reference: 
1 - 4
Publication date: 
19 Apr 2009
Resource type: 
research article
Brief description: 
"The increasing global prevalence of overweight and obesity has serious implications for the environment, as well as for health. We estimate the impact on greenhouse gas emissions of increases in the population distribution of body mass index (BMI). Compared with a normal population distribution of BMI, a population with 40% obese requires 19% more food energy for its total energy expenditure. Greenhouse gas emissions from food production and car travel due to increases in adiposity in a population of 1 billion are estimated to be between 0.4 Giga tonnes (GT) and 1.0 GT of carbon dioxide equivalents per year."
DOI Doc Object Identifier : 
doi:10.1093/ije/dyp172
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Healthy Weight for Children SW Hub

by Frances Mortimer | Fri, 24/04/2009 - 13:55
Published by: 
South West Public Health Observatory
Publication date: 
1 Jan 2009
Resource type: 
website & network
Brief description: 
The Healthy Weight for Children Hub is an interactive information network designed to improve access to the latest available evidence and best practice in the South West. The main aims of the Hub are to: * raise awareness and promote healthy weight in children * bring people together to share experiences and enable discussion * provide timely and relevant resources and information. The site includes a searchable database of healthy weight initiatives and research, a discussion forum, links to useful resources, information for parents and guidance on evaluating interventions, as well as the latest news and events.
External URL: 
http://www.healthyweight4children.org.uk/
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Seminar: Carbon Free Food?

by Frances Mortimer | Tue, 24/03/2009 - 17:08
06/04/2009 - 15:00 - 17:00
London Sustainability Exchange
London
http://www.lsx.org.uk/news/events.aspx?id=3240
This afternoon seminar, hosted by LSx (the London Sustainability Exchange) will explore the latest developments in reducing the environmental impact of London's food and drink sector, sharing the learning from 'Greener Food', the first pan-London project to systematically green this sector.
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The World on a Plate: Food, Greenhouse Gas Emissions and our Changing Climate

by Frances Mortimer | Tue, 24/03/2009 - 17:01
23/04/2009 - 13:00 - 14:00
RESOLVE
Guildford
The food we eat in the UK contributes around 19% of our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. At a global level, the overall contribution made by the food system is more significant still. This seminar looks at how and why these emissions arise, considering both the impacts of different life cycle stages (from agriculture through to cooking at home) and of different foods types.
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Ian Roberts: Looking Upstream

by Frances Mortimer | Tue, 10/03/2009 - 22:15
Published by: 
The Campaign for Greener Healthcare
Resource type: 
podcast interview
Brief description: 
Professor Ian Roberts from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine points to the impact of oil prices on incidence of pedestrian injury, and talks of traffic, children and sewage. A founding member of the Climate and Health Council, he explains their plans for a report on the health benefits of climate change policies - an important omission from the Stern Review.
External URL: 
http://www.greenerhealthcare.org/node/56
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Food Climate Research Network

by Frances Mortimer | Sat, 28/02/2009 - 07:46
Resource type: 
website & network
Brief description: 
The Food Climate Research Network is a UK research council-funded initiative. It works to research & promote ways of achieving absolute reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the whole UK food chain. Excellent website with a lot of useful resources.
External URL: 
http://www.fcrn.org.uk/
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Unhealthy foods and greenhouse gas emissions

A discussion of the links between greenhouse gas emissions in the food sector and unhealthy foods

Many of the foods that are the most polluting in terms of greenhouse gas emissions (red meat, highly processed foods) are also contributory factors to poor diets in individuals. Therefore, initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the food sector by reducing consumption of energy intense foods may result in public health improvements such as reductions in saturated fat intake and obesity levels.

I am a researcher in the Department of Public Health at University of Oxford and I am investigating the association between greenhouse gas emissions of individual foods and the 'healthiness' of those foods (measured using a nutrient profile model). I will be presenting my work at the UKPHA conference in Brighton in March.

I would like to know if there are other people who have investigated the links between greenhouse gas emissions in the food sector and unhealthiness of foods or diets. Also, I would be interested to know of any datasets of greenhouse gas emissions for foods that have been calculated for foods consumed in the United Kingdom. Any thoughts on this area would be most welcome!

Health Professionals' Roles in Animal Agriculture, Climate Change, and Human Health

by Frances Mortimer | Tue, 03/02/2009 - 11:43
Author: 
Aysha Z. Akhtar, Michael Greger, Hope Ferdowsian, Erica Frank
Journal name: 
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Volume & page reference: 
Volume 36, Issue 2, Pages 182-187
Publication date: 
1 Feb 2009
Resource type: 
review article
Brief description: 
"What we eat is rapidly becoming an issue of global concern. With food shortages, the rise in chronic disease, and global warming, the impact of our dietary choices seems more relevant today than ever. Globally, a transition is taking place toward greater consumption of foods of animal origin, in lieu of plant-based diets. With this transition comes intensification of animal agriculture that in turn is associated with the emergence of zoonotic infectious diseases, environmental degradation, and the epidemics of chronic disease and obesity. Health professionals should be aware of these trends and consider them as they promote healthier and more environmentally-sustainable diets."
External URL: 
http://www.ajpm-online.net/article/S0749-3797(08)00898-2/abstract
DOI Doc Object Identifier : 
doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2008.09.043
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