Dive Brief:
- A new study from the Economist Intelligence Unit and the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition Foundation found that the United States does not have a high sustainability rating based on a three-pronged assessment of food loss and waste, sustainable agriculture and nutritional health challenges, according to Food Navigator. Twenty other countries are performing better than the U.S., which came in at number 21 out of 34 countries ranked in the study’s Food Sustainability Index.
- Mostly European countries topped the global sustainability index ranking, with France retaining the top position for the second straight year. Following France are Japan, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Portugal, Italy, South Korea and Hungary.
- The research finds that high-income countries are typically better at ensuring food sustainability than low-income ones, but some exceptions are noteworthy. For example, Ethiopia came in at number 12 on the list, while wealthier countries like the U.S. at number 21 and the United Arab Emirates at number 22 lagged behind.
Dive Insight:
It appears the U.S. — the wealthiest country in the world — has a long ways to go in terms of sustainability efforts and nutritional standards. The EIU study findings portray the U.S. in a rather poor light, something that the government, the food industry and Americans in general should notice. There’s clearly a need for the industry and powers that be to work together in more meaningful and aggressive ways to boost the nation’s position.
According to the study, the biggest drag on the U.S.’s ranking is the country’s ability — or rather inability — to fight nutritional challenges, which landed it in 24th place. The study noted that the U.S. has one of the world's highest levels of sugar intake, and elevated consumption levels of meat and saturated fat. In contrast, Japan was the best global performer in terms of nutritional standards, largely due to a complete absence of vitamin A and iodine deficiency among the country’s population.
The country’s “dismal” performance — according to the research — in sustainable agriculture is another factor keeping the U.S. down. In contrast, Italy earned top marks for sustainable agriculture in this year’s ranking, scoring highly for “pioneering new techniques to reduce water loss in domestic and agricultural contexts,” according to Food Navigator.
So it seems while everyone talks the talk when it comes to sustainable food practices and raising the nation’s nutritional standards, it’s high time to walk the walk. The U.S.’s poor showing compared to other countries on key global sustainability initiatives should provide the wake-up call needed for policymakers, the food industry and other relevant stakeholders to take more action.
While the Food and Drug Administration’s redesigned Nutrition Facts label — which now requires food manufacturers to include how many grams of added sugar are in packaged foods and drinks — is a move in the right direction, it still may not be enough to move the needle in terms of the country’s obesity problem.
And while a growing roster of food companies each have their own sustainability agendas as part of their corporate strategies, it could be time for the industry to band together to move more aggressively to ensure sustainable business practices are enforced and standards met in a timely fashion — because time could be running out.
Studies find that there won’t be enough food to feed the world’s population by 2050. On top of projected population growth outpacing the food supply, global warming, potential farm labor shortages and large amounts of wasted food are contributing to a food shortage — all of which can be reduced or prevented through better practices that could start now.