Nutrition education in the context of sustainable development

Peer Reviewed / Manuscript (original contribution) submitted: July 19, 2022 / Revision accepted: November 1, 2023

Recommendations for professionals, education system and policymakers

Introduction

The way we eat and produce food affects not only human health and well-being, but also that of our planet. Food production is one of the most significant causes of biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions and contributes significantly to exceeding the planetary boundaries [1]. If the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the food system are aggregated across the value chain, they account for around 25% of total emissions in Germany. In order to implement the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out in the Paris Climate Agreement [2], a transformation of the food system is necessary [1, 3]. This is a task for society as a whole, and everyone has a role to play ([4] p. 58). With regard to sustainability- oriented nutrition, various expert discussions are currently being held (e.g. [1, 3, 5]), including in the DGE Expert Group on Nutrition Education1. This article presents the results of these discussions.

Sustainable development in the area of nutrition

Concepts for a more sustainable diet
The topic of sustainable development in the area of nutrition has been and continues to be addressed nationally and internationally in various concepts.
The interdisciplinary scientific field of nutritional ecology was coined by Claus Leitzmann at the Justus Liebig University in Giessen back in the 1980s and is still used in research and teaching today. It takes into account the various dimensions of nutrition (health, environment, economy and society) as well as the network of (inter)effects within the complex system of nutrition [6]. ...

Abstract

Nutrition is one of the fields of action that can make a significant contribution to the transformation towards a more sustainable future. It is the people who eat and consume who can contribute to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, in addition to the societal framework. Nutrition education is essential to help shape the ongoing transformation process. This leads to recommendations for action for professionals, education system and policy makers.

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