We appreciate many of the points made in the 2019 Society for Nutrition Education
and Behavior (SNEB) position paper on “The Importance of Including Environmental Sustainability
in Dietary Guidance.”
1
As scientists focused on human health, environmental health, and livestock sustainability,
we would like to add some balance and perspective to the conversation on the role
of animal-based food in sustainable food systems and healthy dietary patterns. We
are aligned with the SNEB position that improving human and environmental health requires
enhanced emphasis on food system sustainability, changes to dietary guidance and dietary
choices, and reductions in excess energy intake and food waste. However, we are concerned
that many of the roles of animal-based food are undervalued in the sustainability
of food systems, especially when viewed in the context of nutritional, social, economic,
and environmental parameters. Our professional training and ethics dictate that we
remain steadfast in an evidence-based approach to this topic, and we appreciate the
opportunity to share our thoughts for consideration by the SNEB leadership and its
members.To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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REFERENCES
- Position of the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior: the importance of including environmental sustainability in dietary guidance.J Nutr Educ Behav. 2019; 51: 3-15
- Sustainable Diets and Biodiversity.Nutrition and Consumer Protection Division, Rome, Italy2012http://www.fao.org/3/a-i3004e.pdfDate accessed: August 18, 2019
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US Department of Health and Human Services, US Department of Agriculture. 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th ed. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services; 2015.
- Increasing plant based foods or dairy foods differentially affects nutrient intakes: dietary scenarios using NHANES 2007–2010.Nutrients. 2016; 8: E422
- How sound is the science behind the dietary recommendations for dairy?.Am J Clin Nutr. 2014; 99: 1217S-1222S
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). FAO Statistical Yearbook 2013: World Food and Agriculture. Rome, Italy: FAO; 2013. http://www.fao.org/3/a-i3107e.pdf. Accessed August 12, 2019.
Food and Agriculture Organization. Animal Production. http://www.fao.org/animal-production/en/. Accessed August 12, 2019.
- Fatty acid specific delta13C values reveal earliest Mediterranean cheese production 7,200 years ago.PLoS One. 2018; 13e0202807
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- Nutritional and greenhouse gas impacts of removing animals from US agriculture.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017; 114: E10301-E10308
- Forage use to improve environmental sustainability of ruminant production.J Anim Sci. 2016; 94: 3147-3158
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
October 30,
2019
Footnotes
Conflict of Interest Disclosure: The authors have not stated any conflicts of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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- Reply to Miller et al, Letter to the Editor, AuthorsJournal of Nutrition Education and BehaviorVol. 52Issue 2
- PreviewWe welcome the letter to the editor about our Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior position paper on the importance of including environmental sustainability in dietary guidance.1 Our goal was to increase the visibility of environmental concerns in consumption decisions, and this exchange helps to accomplish that. We are glad to see that our colleagues agree with 2 of the main points of the position paper: an emphasis on food system sustainability is important for improving human and environmental health; and changes to dietary guidance and dietary choices are needed, including those that reduce excess energy intake and food waste.
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- Reply to Miller et al, Letter to the Editor, SNEBJournal of Nutrition Education and BehaviorVol. 52Issue 2
- PreviewThe Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior (SNEB) leadership welcomes this opportunity to respond to the letter to the editor (LTE) regarding our position paper on the importance of including environmental sustainability in dietary guidance published in the January 2019 issue of JNEB.1 The SNEB expects position papers to shape food and nutrition education, research, practice, and policy. Therefore, the Society worked closely with its Journal Committee and the JNEB Editor-in-Chief to create a rigorous process for developing position papers that are balanced, evidence-based, timely, relevant, and of interest to our membership and to the broader field of nutrition.
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