Can dietary guidelines support the transformation of food systems to foster human and planetary health?

Abstract

There is substantial evidence of the need for efforts to drastically shift the food system to enable eating patterns consistent with human and planetary health. This will have implications for food production, processing, distribution and consumption. Eating patterns low in fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds and omega-3 fatty acids are contributing to morbidity and mortality around the world. This highlights the need for interventions to increase accessibility to foods that are currently under-consumed relative to recommendations. However, some of those foods are not produced in sufficient quantity, while others are being consumed at an environmentally unsustainable rate. Consequently, food-based dietary guidelines, traditionally aimed at providing evidence-based recommendations for healthy eating, appear to be evolving towards a holistic approach that embraces the complexity of eating patterns, the roles they play in society and the factors that influence them, as well as environmental sustainability considerations. The recent update to Canada’s Food Guide has taken such an approach, providing an opportunity to consider the extent to which such food-based dietary guidelines can support strategies to transform the food system.