FEATURING SUSTAINABILITY: A REVIEW OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF DIETARY GUIDANCE FOR CONSUMERS

In recent years there has been growing attention to sustainable production and consumption also when it comes to food. The idea that one's dietary choices have an impact not only on personal health and wellbeing, but also on the natural environment and the producers of the food is being emphasised. Yet, adherence to any guidance provided to consumers is influenced by the criteria they use to make their consumption choices, as well as the value they award to different qualities of the food. Given the emerging sustainability concerns, consumers are being challenged to reframe this quality valuation to consider both internalities of the food, such as flavour and appearance, as well as externalities of production and consumption, such as harm to human health, socioeconomic impact, as well as environmental damage, promotion of animal welfare, biodiversity and cultural food traditions. This paper will review three different examples of guidance issued in the past few years; namely, the Swedish National Food Administration's Environmentally Effective Food Choices guidelines, the German Council for Sustainable Development's Sustainable Shopping Basket guide, and the Barilla Centre for Food and Nutrition's Double Pyramid Common and specific features will be identified with a view to discussing their implications for concepts, and skills taught by Home Economists.