This week’s blog post features Kate Geagan, MS, RD Nutrition
Communicators Consultant. Her session is
titled: “How Sustainability is Shaping the Shopping Cart.” Consumer interest about what’s in our food
and how it’s produced has grown exponentially, driven by a number of factors
and concerns including animal welfare, worker conditions, degree and type of
processing, ingredient sourcing, desire to buy locally, and the local and
global environmental impact of our food choices as well as access to more
information than ever before. However, the integration of guidance to reduce
the environmental impact of the diet and dietary recommendations for optimal
health is complex, highly regionalized and a young discipline without strong
consensus or integration to date. Where and to what extent do sustainability
and health converge, and what advice can we give to consumers looking to eat
more sustainably? This session will
provide insights on the latest evidence and initiatives from the fields of nutrition,
food systems, and environmental science as well as strategies for helping
consumers navigate this complex landscape to make food choices that deliver on
nutrition, taste and sustainability to promote a positive health culture that
extends to the environment.
