Essay on Healthy Diet and Food Sustainability: Whose Responsibility?

This essay, written as a guest commentary, addresses the ongoing debate surrounding healthy diets and food sustainability, referencing the work of Willett et al. (2019) and the EAT-Lancet Commission. It explores the impact of food systems on dietary habits and the environment, highlighting the link between diet-related diseases, consumer choices, and global issues like climate change. The author argues that consumers bear significant responsibility for food sustainability, advocating for mindful choices and a shift towards practices that consider the needs of future generations. The essay emphasizes the importance of balancing individual goals with global sustainability, urging readers to consider their impact on the environment and the future. The author provides references from other scholars and researchers to strengthen their argument. Ultimately, the commentary calls for a collective effort to protect the planet through responsible consumption and sustainable practices.

Running head: HEALTHY DIET AND FOOD SUSTAINABILITY: WHOSE
RESPONSIBILITY?
Guest Commentary: Healthy Diet and Food Sustainability: Whose Responsibility?
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

HEALTHY DIET AND FOOD SUSTAINABILITY: WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY? 1
Healthy Diet and Food Sustainability: Who’s Responsibility?
There has been an increasing debate in the recent past about diet nutrition and food
sustainability. I recently read an article by Willett et al. (2019). Throughout history, one cannot
underestimate the role that food systems have played in shaping dietary habits and health of
human race. I am ardent supporter of sustainability and its impact to humanity. The first two
sections of the debatable article by Willett et al. (2019) address two main areas of nutrition diet
and food sustainability. In the first section, Willett et al. (2019) discuss innumerable
contributions of food systems to the human race. In the second section, the authors raise concern
about food sustainability. It is commendable that humans take balanced diet to stay physically fit
and healthy. However, the demand for diet nutrition has not been consistent with food
sustainability. Even if Willett et al. (2019) insist that there is a need for food sustainability, I
would like to raise a claim that we consumers are the ones responsible for food sustainability.
There is little doubt that scientists have told us repeatedly that the most foods that we take
are responsible for diet-related diseases. Obesity and diabetes have been linked to consumption
of sugary and foods rich in cholesterol (Ding & Hu, 2019). Human behavior has been the sole
cause of the issues that are affecting the human race today. When I say that our food choices
have affected our diet and health, I do not intend to offend those of us who for one reason or
another have been advised by doctors to afford some foods. I only want to pass this point across,
that we have choices to make when it comes to our diet. These choices have to be consistent with
the natural environment we dwell in (Macdiamirj, 2013). I agree with Willett et al. (2019) when
they say that food sustainability and healthy diet is a win-win situation. The main concern is that
humans, who are supposed to protect the environment, have turned into conquerors. Morawicki
and Díaz (2018) explain that when humans compete against nature, they may win today and

HEALTHY DIET AND FOOD SUSTAINABILITY: WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY? 2
celebrate the victory. Nature may take time to revenge, but when it revenges, the consequences
are often unsustainable (Malcolm, 2018). I think that the concept of global warming and climate
change should ring into your mind when you read this sentence.
Whenever the topic of sustainability is mentioned, most of us tend to think that it is the
government that should take responsibility. I am here today to state that we have the
responsibility as consumers to take measures to protect what we have for future generations.
Sustainability as a term has been in books and mainstream media for a while, but many of us
may not understand what it means. Vieux, Perignon, Gazan, and Darmon (2018) define
sustainability as method of utilizing the available resources for today while at the same time
taking into consideration the needs of future generations. This definition does not mean that you
avoid utilizing the available resources. It only means that you use them wisely while taking into
consideration the needs and preferences of future generations. For instance, you can save the
forests by planting two trees when you cut one. The government will not come to plant trees in
your compound. You are the one to choose.
Willett et al. (2019) explain that World Bank projects that the current nutritional diets are
estimated to support human population for the next thirty years. This implies that by 2050, the
human population is projected to have a significant impact on the available food systems. A
slight change in human behavior such as a shift from eating green vegetables to red meant is
likely to create pressure on the estimated available resources. A similar reasoning applies to
utilization of land. When people encroach into water catchment areas, it becomes impossible to
meet the projected goals for 2050. This explanation is consistent to what I stated early on the
relationship between man and natural environment. It may be true that we have goals and

HEALTHY DIET AND FOOD SUSTAINABILITY: WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY? 3
interests of developing our economies and increasing community welfare, but we need to
reconsider the manner in which we approach the natural environment.
One may also argue that the natural environment and the theory of global warming have
been around for a while. For instance, it is easy to admit that an individual decision cannot have
an adverse impact to the environment. There have been cases where individuals have failed to
take responsibility for their actions because of conflicting goals and interests. I read from
Perignon, Vieux, Soler, Masset, and Darmon (2016) that there are current conflicts in food and
sustainability systems where individual interests take precedence over global of food
sustainability. Consider for instance the goals of private developers. The law allows each
individual to own and control property with little consideration on global goals of sustainability
(Green et al., 2018).. We have scientists who have already termed the issue of global warming
and climate change as a hoax. When you decide to listen to reasons from each individual, you
will find one thousand and one reasons to believe that we have no reason to conserve the
environment or consider sustainable development.
At this point, it is evident that sustainability is a collective responsibility. Even though
nutrition diet is an individual choice that one may be forced to make due to health reasons, the
consequences from human choices and activities make it necessary for human race to rethink
their impact on the environment. It is true that individual goals may take precedence over global
goals, but this should not be the reason failing to take reasonable measures to conserve the
environment. I understand that you may have individual goals which may be bigger than the
global goals, but have you thought of your children and your descendants. What if you are
granted fifty extra years today? Will you be strong enough to look at the world and proudly say,
“This is the world I wanted?” Let us take responsibility.

HEALTHY DIET AND FOOD SUSTAINABILITY: WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY? 4
References
Ding, E. L., & Hu, F. B. (2019). Commentary: Relative importance of diet vs physical activity
for health. International Journal of Epidemiology, 39(1), 209–214.
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2912490/
Green, H., Broun, P., Cook, D., Cooper, K., Drewnowski, A., Pollard, D., … Roulin, A. (2018). Healthy and
sustainable diets for future generations. Journal of the science of food and agriculture, 98(9),
3219–3224. doi:10.1002/jsfa.8953 Retrieved from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6033153/
Macdiamirj, J. (2013). Is a healthy diet environmentally sustainable? Proceedings of the
Nutrition Society, 72(1). Retrieved from
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Morawicki, R. O., & Díaz G., D. J. (2018). Food Sustainability in the context of human behavior.
The Yale journal of biology and medicine, 91(2), 191–196. Retrieved from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6020726/
Malcolm, F. (2018). Sustainable diets, food, and nutrition: proceedings of a workshop—in brief.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine
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sustainability through evolution of food choices: review of epidemiological studies on the

HEALTHY DIET AND FOOD SUSTAINABILITY: WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY? 5
environmental impact of diets. Nutrition reviews, 75(1), 2–17.
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token=f45e6493988476437ec69d0d1490cfcb