Dive Brief:
- A newly released Food Sustainability Index demonstrates challenges posed by hunger, obesity and the over-exploitation of natural resources as the U.S. generates substantial food waste, according to the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition Foundation.
- The Food Sustainability Index ranks 25 countries on their food system sustainability based on three themes: Food Loss and Waste, Sustainable Agriculture and Nutritional Challenges.
- The U.S. received high ranks for food and waste at No. 6, and was ranked No. 19 for sustainable agriculture and No. 12 for nutritional challenges.
Dive Insight:
The Food Sustainability Index employs a multidisciplinary approach, including research, dissemination and public engagement to examine the relationship between food and scientific, economic, social and environmental factors.
France, Japan and Canada were among the most sustainable countries overall, with the U.S. ranking just short of the top 10.
U.S. agriculture's impact on water supply dragged down its sustainability score, though the country scored higher on the water scarcity metric. Several companies, particularly beverage companies like PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, have worked to reduce water usage at their facilities, with select companies working toward the zero-water claim.
The U.S. still has a ways to go to become more competitive on a sustainability scale as compared to several other countries, particularly those in Western Europe. But the U.S. also scores high on keeping its citizens fed, including high marks for the lack of malnourishment and micronutrient deficiency.