Will a Plant-based Approach Be Sufficient to Address Food Security, Nutritional Adequacy and Sustainability in the Future?

Abstract

Food and nutrition insecurity threatens the long-term sustainability of our planet and is a significant socio-environmental disruptor. The growing world population is placing an increasing demand for environment-friendly, nutritious, safe food. Alongside this, diet-related diseases are also becoming increasingly prevalent. The food and agriculture system of our time emits 17.3 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, with animal-based food production generating 57% of the total. Looking at these numbers, a growing conscience calls for a holistic food system that emphasizes saving the planet, preventing non-communicable diseases, offering food safety, ensuring nutritional adequacy, and developing sustainable food production practices. Plant-based diets are believed to solve all these problems and there is too much hype surrounding plant-based eating patterns on social media with the recent endorsement of influencers. It is undeniable that plant-based foods have tremendous future potential since they require fewer natural resources and are not detrimental to the environment. In addition, plant diets are reported to prevent and control non-communicable diseases. We propose three research questions in this context: (a) Are all plant-based foods equal in terms of health and environmental benefits? (b) Do these products meet acceptance, accessibility, and affordability requirements? (c) Does this process omit the immense nutritional benefit of other well-documented healthful dietary patterns such as the Mediterranean diet? We anticipate that the answers will supply valuable information to a broad range of stakeholders, including the public, global food production institutes, global nutrition bodies and researchers. Consequently, a well-rounded, economical, whole food-centred dietary approach can be formulated that will benefit us, our planet, and future generations.