The Role of the Food Industry in Strengthening Links between Agriculture, Nutrition and Environmental Sustainability
| Author | Beth C. Sauerhaft,Tara Acharya,Daniel W. Bena,Derek Yach |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1758-5899.2010.00051.x |
| Date | 01 October 2010 |
| Published date | 01 October 2010 |
The Role of the Food Industry in
Strengthening Links between
Agriculture, Nutrition and
Environmental Sustainability
Tara Acharya
Senior Manager, Global Health Policy, Global R&D, PepsiCo
Daniel W. Bena
Director, Sustainable Development, PepsiCo
Beth C. Sauerhaft
Senior Manager, Environmental Stewardship, Pepsi Beverages America, PepsiCo
Derek Yach
Senior Vice-President, Global Health Policy, Global R&D, PepsiCo
Sustainable development has been aptly defined as that
which ‘meets the needs of the present without compromis-
ing the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs’ (United Nations General Assembly, 1987). In no
aspect are our present and future needs more evident than
in the production of food. During the 20th century,
unprecedented advances in agricultural production tripled
yields of wheat, rice and maize and made it possible to save
millions from hunger. Industrialization boosted farming
efficiency and the Green Revolution introduced new varie-
ties, pest and weed control, irrigation and fertilizer applica-
tion methods that helped many parts of the world to
achieve self-sufficiency in food.
Today, however, it appears that intensive agriculture may
have inadvertently contributed to negative impacts on soil
and ecosystem health, depletion of water resources and
minerals, and climate change, all of which pose critical
threats to future productivity (Federoff et al., 2010). The
quest for greater yields may also have unintentionally
compromised nutritional value as fast-growing, high-yield
varieties with underdeveloped root systems are unable to
absorb nutrients from the soil efficiently (Davis, 2004;
Morris and Sands, 2006). Market forces have usually
prioritized yields, appearance and shelf life over nutritional
quality and use of environmentally sustainable practices
(Unnevehr et al., 2007).
The absence of overlapping incentives for nutrition and
agriculture may have exacerbated malnutrition: 1 billion
people do not have enough to eat; 2 billion have micronu-
trient deficiencies; and 1 billion eat too much energy-dense,
nutrition-poor food. Interventions to combat malnutrition
have rarely included agricultural production (Sanchez and
Swaminathan, 2005), relying instead on micronutrient
replacement during downstream processing rather than at
the source of nutrient development – crop production.
Dietary preferences are driving demand for more resource-
intensive food, including meat and dairy, overconsumption
of which can contribute to chronic diseases (Popkin, 2004).
Health care costs associated with this dietary transition
could reach $2.8 trillion in 2011 (Rayner and Rayner,
2003).
The challenge: delivering optimal nutrition with
environmentally sustainable agriculture
We urgently need to redesign our food systems to pro-
duce sufficient quantities of nutritious food in a world
with an unpredictable climate, sparse water supplies and
expensive energy sources (Roberts, 2008). A much closer
relationship must be nurtured between those who set
agricultural policies, those committed to meeting the
world’s nutritional needs and those involved in reducing
Global Policy Volume 1 . Issue 3 . October 2010
Global Policy (2010) 1:3 doi: 10.1111/j.1758-5899.2010.00051.x Copyright 2010 London School of Economics and Political Science and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Practitioner Commentary
327
To continue reading
Request your trial