Global Food Security

Running head: GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY
GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

1GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY
Review of healthy and sustainable diet
As mentioned by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of United Nations (2012),
Healthy and Sustainable Diets (HSDs) are developed or created with low environmental impacts
the future generation is healthy life and sustainability [1]. While developing healthy and
sustainable food and dietary aspects, it is important that people consume foods which are
protective, respectful as well as nutritionally adequate. Hence, thorugh the application of HSDs,
people would be able to consume food that optimizes natural and human resources. HSDs
impacts the environment as well as animal based foods increases the green house gas emission
by 20 to 30%, whereas growing plant based food require less resources, energy and costs [2].
Sustainability and healthy diet could also be termed as the ability of every individual to
live within the resources and its ecological limits and hence, it is important that consumers
understand the needs and challenges that majority of the population is suffering currently in
world [3]. As per the reports provided by the United Nations (2012), 150 million children around
the world are suffering from stunting at the age of five and less, whereas 50 million children
suffer from wasting or low weight for their age. Irregularity in the sustainability could also be
understood from the fact that more than 1.9 billion people are overweight around the world;
however 462 million people are suffering from underweight or malnutrition [2]. Hence, it is
important that the global organisations develop guidelines and strategies so that with protecting
the environmental ecosystem people could be provided with healthy and sustainable food.
The Australian government has also developed food and dietary aspects and has included
them in the guideline with the application of scientific evidences so that people could be
provided effective and sustainable life [4]. While developing these guidelines the government

2GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY
has focused on three aspects such so that it could promote health and wellbeing, reduces the
critical risks to diet related conditions, and finally it also reduces the risk of chronic health
conditions [4]. As per the Australian governmental policies and guidelines, this dietary aspect
has been developed through the application of health professionals, policy makers, educators,
Australian and world researchers, and food manufacturer and retailers. Further, the government
has implemented these strategies so that all the diet and nutritional complications could be
treated effectively [4].
While discussing the Australian Dietary Guidelines (2019), the government has divided
the food products in five aspects or groups so that people could be provided with effective
nutritional aspects [5]. These five food groups are vegetables legumes and beams, fruits, milk
cheese yoghurt and milk alternatives, lean meat, poultry, egg, tofu, seeds, nuts and legumes
fishes and the fifth aspect is cereals or grains [6]. While discussing these food types and their
usage in the Australian diet, their usage and consumption in average Australian diet should be
assessed. As per the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2019), the average Australian did not
consume complete diet in their regular meals and in their diet, lack of one of these sources is
observed [7]. Hence, it is recommended that they consume food products which are as per the
national food and diet guidelines. While explaining the rate of disparity that an average
Australian consumes in their diet, the Australian bureau of statistics mentions that they consume
only 2.7 serving of vegetables, and less than 4% of the entire Australian population consumes
recommended dosage of vegetables in their life time [8]. In 2 to 18 years of age, the rate of
population that eats recommended dosage of vegetable in less than 1%. Hence, non-compliance
to the recommended dosage is observed. The second aspect is the fruit group in which an
average Australian should consume at least 1.5 serving of fruits every day, whereas only 0.5% of

3GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY
the population reaches that recommended dosage. Therefore, from this aspects, it is estimated
that more than two third of the Australian population are unable to eat their recommended
dosage so that sustainable diet could be provided to the patients. Similar conditions could be
observed for other three categories as from the recommended dosage of 1.5 serves of milk,
yoghurt, cheese and alternatives per day, only 10% of Australian are able to reach to the
recommended dosage. Whereas, within millions of Australian population, only 14% of
Australians consumes Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, and
legumes/beans in its recommended dosage which is 1.7 serving per day. Final aspect includes
Grain and within the recommended dosage of 4.5 servings, 30% of Australian individuals are
able to consume the recommended dosage. Hence, these detailed statistical analysis critical
identified all the five food groups that are associated with the Australian diet and nutritional
groups. However, these identified that majority of the population were unable to consume their
recommended dosage every day and hence, it affected their growth and development [7].
Australian food groups that claim to make optimal balance between the animal based or
plant based foods, also divides these aspects effectively so that while consuming food a balance
between plant based and animal based food could be maintained. The Australian diet
recommends more than 8.7 servings in every average meal for an adult Australian however only
3.2 serving has been recommended by the Australia government for consumption in every meal
[7]. Therefore, it indicates that the government focused upon the plant based diet so that
sustainability and ecological balance could be maintained. Similarly, the government has
developed aspects for discretionary food item so that people could consume food products that
do not provide any health and sustainability in limited amount [7].
The causes of gap between current diet and the recommended healthy and sustainable