Dietary models and challenges for economics
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Dietary models and challenges for economics Stéphan Marette 1
& Vincent
Réquillart 2
Received: 29 October 2019 / Accepted: 13 June 2020/ # INRAE and Springer-Verlag France SAS, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract This introductory article presents the three main challenges faced in economics to issues raised by dietary models. The first part of this paper examines the dietary models that maximise the health profile of a population under various constraints, including environmental and agronomic criteria. The second part introduces the possibilities of economic modelling to complement these dietary models, despite the limitations of economic approaches. The third part suggests new research proposals by asserting that overlooked questions deserve further scrutiny. We emphasise that economic models are particularly useful to analyse trade-offs between the various objectives underlying a sustainable food system. However, possible improvements should tackle, first, possible substitutions between food categories by consumers; second, adjustments in supply chains; and third, measures of inequality resulting from significant changes towards sustainability. Such improvements may be difficult to realise but are technically possible. Keywords Dietary models . Unbalanced diet . Food production system . Sustainability
Introduction In many countries, an unbalanced diet is responsible for obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, entailing major costs for society (WHO 2015). While around 650 million people in the world are classed as obese, around 820 million people in the world remain hungry (FAO 2019). Moreover, the food production system involves a number of pollutants related to pesticide application, the use of plastics and packaging from the farm to the refrigerator, the presence of residual ammoniac or nitrates that spread through soil and water, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within the food chain, which represent 21% to 37% of emissions throughout the world (IPCC 2019). * Stéphan Marette [email protected]
1
Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR Economie Publique, Avenue Lucien Bretignières, 78850 Grignon, France
2
Toulouse School of Economics, INRAE, University of Toulouse Capitole, Toulouse, France
S. Marette and V. Réquillart
These pollutants also impact human health and biodiversity (Lock et al. 2010). All of these issues underscore the immense challenges that need to be overcome in achieving a sustainable food system, guaranteeing the availability of food for everybody with sound nutritional and environmental qualities, all of which encompass a wide range of characteristics (Ranganathan et al. 2016). This situation has generated numerous public agendas for sustainable development, clean agriculture, and/or a zero-hunger target by 2040 or 2050. These agendas are based on foresight studies with legitimate objectives, but they are often also based on debatable assumptions regarding economic development (FAO 2019). In this context, the scientific knowledge regarding diets appear
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