Article**: What is food***
From November 30 to December 12, the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. On November 30, the World Meteorological Organization announced that this year was the hottest on record. On that day, it was also the "hottest" edition of COP to date, attracting about 80,000 attendees.
It is organized by Proveg Internationa and co-sponsored by many internationally renowned organizations such as Bright Green, Compassion in World Farming, World Conference of Religion for Peace, etc"Food Systems Transformation: Solutions to Promote Healthy Diets and Protein Diversity".The side event forum was officially held on the afternoon of December 4. As the only representative of Chinese mainland, Hou Bing, CEO of Good Food**, attended the meeting and delivered a keynote speech"Dietary Transformation and Climate Change".
28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Influential international organizations
A call to address the global climate crisis through a sustainable transformation of food systems
The forum was moderated by Mr. Rapha L Podselver, Director for UN Affairs at Proveg International and Food and Climate at COP28. Mr. Podselver elaborated on the dilemmas facing the food system today. Globally, 800 million people suffer from hunger and malnutrition. At the same time, 40% of adults are overweight. One-third of global greenhouse gas emissions come from agri-food systems. Not only does livestock take up 80 percent of arable land and account for more than a dozen percent of total greenhouse gas emissions, but it provides only 37 percent of protein and 18 percent of calories for human diets. This mode of production is not only inefficient, but also has a number of negative impacts, such as on food security, climate change and biodiversity loss. The FAO expects meat production to double by 2050. Then even if we phase out fossil fuels tomorrow, we will not meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. In the face of such a serious challenge, humanity must urgently find a way out. So the topic of today's forum is: how can we build a resilient food system by promoting a healthy plant-based diet and a variety of proteins?And how can we turn our commitments into action?
The first speaker was Mr. D**id Rosen, Co-Chair of the World Conference of Religion for Peace, a religious peace organization. He has been awarded the Chevalier of the Order of St. Gregory and the Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to the peaceful coexistence of religions. Perhaps many people don't know what the relationship between religious beliefs and food systems and environmental problems is. But for Mr. Rosen, the believer's belief in the existence of the Creator and the destruction of the environment is tantamount to great disrespect for the Creator. Mr. Rosen illustrates in more detail the link between religious beliefs and today's food system crisis through an example. He explained that food waste is considered a great sin in Judaism. Because wasting food is not only a waste of resources, but also a sign of people seeking more than they actually need, and lacking humility. Mr. Rosen pointed out that the overconsumption of meat in today's society reflects the laissez-faire behavior of human beings, which also brings about a negative impact on human health and the ecological environment. The inhumane slaughter of livestock also highlights the growing lack of human empathy.
Ms Lina Mamy from the World Health Organization (WHO) spoke about the WHO's tremendous efforts in the field of food systems transformation over the past few decades, and she was optimistic and hopeful about the future. She stressed that a healthy food system should be able to provide people with safe, sustainable, healthy and affordable diets. WHO is committed to transforming food systems, providing support to society, such as food safety assessment mechanisms and guidelines for nutrition intake for different age groups. In addition, the WHO is addressing the food system at the consumer end by developing a comprehensive "policy package". These include fiscal policies, such as promoting the consumption of healthy foods through tax adjustments;and nutrition labelling to help consumers better understand the impact of their ingestion on individual health. Finally, Ms. Mamy also briefly elaborated on the lack of healthy diets and protein diversity in today's world.
The third speaker was Gabriela Rawhani, a young person from the Bahá'í International Community, United Nations Office at Geneva. She illustrates how a values-based approach can help bridge the gap between knowledge and practice in food systems transformation, and what role young people can play in this process. Rawhani begins by describing such a value. She said that society, like the human body, is also an organic whole. Wherever something goes wrong in the social fabric, it will have an impact on society as a whole. Therefore, we cannot expect any one system (e.g., the food system) to solve its own problems alone, but rather the coordination of the whole society.
Rawhani also pointed out that the process of transforming food systems is not achieved through a top-down approach, but rather on the bottom-up "grassroots". For example, an NGO in Colombia called FundAEC (The Foundation for the Application and Teaching of the Sciences) has spent the past 40 years focusing on improving people's knowledge in areas such as agriculture, integrating traditional knowledge and modern science to optimize production processes and develop community structures to promote collective well-being. They work in areas such as soil health, pest and disease control, and empower local people to create food systems for healthier diets. In the area of youth projects, the organization has created a "Preparation for Social Action" (PSA) program. Emphasis is placed on developing young people's ability to develop scientific knowledge and strengthening Xi in communication and practice. Rawhani highlighted the role of young people as "pioneers" in these examples. Because they are extremely passionate about social justice, creative, and always come up with interdisciplinary solutions. Therefore, young people are definitely a force to be reckoned with.
The moderator led the conversation to the relationship between plant-based diets and public health. Dr. Lin Ming-nan, Vice President of Daelim Tzu Chi Hospital, Tzu Chi Medical Association in Taiwan, spoke about the benefits of a plant-based diet for personal health and the health of the planet. He highlighted that many dangerous diseases, such as Ebola, HIV, H5N1, SARS and swine flu, are directly linked to human consumption of wild animals. Therefore, if humans want to stay healthy, the first thing we need to consider is to no longer encroach on the natural habitat of wild animals. Dr. Lin then cited the results of several studies that prove that animal-based proteins are associated with more health problems than plant-based proteins. At the same time, there is also evidence that people who adopt a plant-based diet will spend 17% less on health care than omnivores. On the issue of planetary health, Dr. Lim showed that the human food pyramid should be based on a plant-based diet and a grain diet, with meat, eggs and milk intake at the top of the spiral. And from an environmental impact perspective, plant-based diets also have the least carbon emissions, while meat-based diets have the largest. Dalim Tzu Chi Hospital provides patients with a vegan diet, which not only benefits patients**, but also reduces the hospital's carbon emissions: in 2016, Lin Tzu Chi Hospital reduced carbon emissions by 2,643 tons by providing a plant-based diet. In 2018, that figure had risen to 2,811 tonnes. In addition, Dr. Lin also briefly introduced initiatives such as setting up a vegan Starbucks in Taipei and Taichung City to promote the popularization of plant-based diets.
Next speaker was Ms Deborah Tripley from the World Farm Animal Welfare Federation (CIWF). First, Ms Tripley noted that a number of scientific findings have demonstrated the huge carbon emissions associated with intensive farming, its contribution to the spread of related diseases, and the adverse effects of high intake of meat and dairy products on human health. She went on to cite information from a recently released report by the Earth Council. The report states that humanity's ability to survive on Earth is approaching a tipping point. Ms Tripley said that more than 70 per cent of the world's antibiotics are used in industrial farming. These antibiotics find their way into water systems and food, leading to an increase in antibiotic resistance. Ms. Tripley also referred to the inefficiencies of the food system caused by "excessive meat consumption": 40 to 45 percent of the world's grains are used for animal feed, rather than for human consumption. However, for every 100 calories an animal consumes, only 17 to 30 calories end up being passed on to humans. This inefficiency is clearly putting enormous pressure on the environment and climate. According to a recent report by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, by substituting half of the world's animal products for more sustainable products, we can almost completely prevent the conversion of forests and land to agricultural land. These findings highlight the critical role of balanced and healthy diets in global sustainable development. Ms. Tripley concluded by saying that policy shifts require global cooperation, including the development of dietary guidelines and environmentally friendly resolutions. Market incentives are also key, with investments and subsidies needed to be aligned to support more sustainable protein systems.
Ms. Karina Goncalves D**id, an organic agroforestry grower from Brazil, shared her experience and insights in the production of agroforestry systems in her speech. By showcasing the farm's, she articulated the idea that forests can produce food efficiently, highlighting the viability of agroforestry systems. Despite the difficulties faced in the early days of the farm, such as a lack of water and infrastructure, Ms. Karina and her husband continued to practice organic agroforestry. She emphasized that she does not use chemicals for agricultural production and expressed respect for nature and forests. She believes that agroforestry systems can grow in tandem with nature. Ms. Karina and her husband have planted not only trees but also vegetables on the land on the farm, achieving rich biodiversity and adequate yields. By sharing her experience of growing eucalyptus trees on her farm and cultivating shiitake mushrooms on eucalyptus trees, she demonstrated the feasibility of circular production. In addition, she called for more money to be invested in agroforestry and organic farmers to achieve faster change. She also encourages people to buy food directly from farmers and support organic farming through consumption.
At the end of the guest speeches, Hou Bing, CEO of Good Food, first expressed his gratitude to Brighter Green, a good food partner, for inviting Good Food to speak at the event. She introduced the practice of promoting healthy and sustainable diets in China. With the rapid development of China's economy in the past three decades, the nutritional level of Chinese has been greatly improved. Compared with developed countries, although the per capita meat consumption of Chinese is still far away, it also exceeds the recommended value of the dietary guidelines for Chinese residents. Excessive meat consumption is a common challenge for many countries, with huge impacts on human, animal and environmental health, climate change, biodiversity loss, and more. We believe that promoting healthy and sustainable diets is the most powerful lever to transform the food system, and it is also the core mission of Good Food. Ms. Hou Bing then introduced the "Good Food Initiative", a programmatic guide to Good Food, and the "Good Food Conference", which has been successfully held for seven times since the establishment of Good Food to the present. Every year, the conference invites the world's top scholars and best practitioners to share the latest ideas and best practices in plant leadership, animal welfare and healthy diets for domestic food system innovators. And accumulated nearly 2 million online viewers**, which has improved the awareness of the industry and the public. In 2021, Liangshi established the Food Systems Transformation China Action Platform. Through workshops, dialogues, and best practice stories, we connect and empower all parties along the food value chain to transform food systems. At the same time, the Liangshi team has designed a series of projects to promote food transformation for different groups of people and different consumption scenarios.
Ms. Hou Bing also introduced the "Climate-Friendly Restaurant Standard" project launched by Liang Shi this year, and the "Green Catering Program" launched by Liang Shi in cooperation with Gogreen, a highly influential **bang media in China, in November this past November. That is, to guide more companies in the catering and hospitality industry to participate in the transformation of healthy and sustainable diets through recognition and rewards. In terms of youth projects, Ms. Hou Bing introduced how Good Food empowers young people to participate in food transformation through organizing various activities. And a short one, showing the youth team of the biodiversity food project under the guidance of Dr. Wang Zeyuan and Mr. Yang Meijing Siyang, this year.
In June and July, we went to Jingmai Mountain in Yunnan Province to conduct research, explore the wisdom of local traditional healthy diet, and finally create a biodiversity dinner with local ethnic minorities.
Pay attention to the issue of "policy subsidies".
Avoid causing more damage to the environment
In the Q&A session after the guest speaking session, the first questioner said that as far as he knew, there was a problem with "reverse subsidies" in the current policy: 1The $5 trillion in subsidies ended up destroying the environment rather than protecting it, and these subsidies literally undermine people's ability to access healthy, nutritious food. How do we respond to such a situation?
Ms. Deborah Tripley responded to that question. She pointed out that the "reverse subsidy" not only brings harm to the outside (environment, etc.), but also the main reason why ordinary people consume a healthy diet**. The "polluter pays" principle, which is already widely used in other industries, has not yet been adopted in the food sector. According to Ms. Tripley, one of the reasons this principle is not universally adopted is that the food industry is too long to identify which link in the chain is a "polluter". Ms. Tripley also noted that a recent report by the Food and Land Use Coalition had calculated the costs involved in switching to healthy diets: savings from reducing negative external impacts could be as high as $128 billion, compared to the investment required to achieve this goal of only $30 billion.
Sustainable food systems and climate change
There is an urgent need for global and cooperative and multi-stakeholder participation
The second questioner asked Ms Lina Mamy from the WHO: How many countries have actually adopted the WHO guidelines for policymakers to drive the shift to sustainable diets?
Ms. Mamy said that WHO did regularly monitor the implementation of the policies that countries promoted. In addition to being found in the WHO database called GINA, this information is also reflected in the WHO General Assembly's progress report on nutrition policy. In addition, Ms. Mamy mentioned that a number of countries were currently preparing resolutions on health and climate, including Peru, the Netherlands, Brazil, the United States and the United Kingdom. These countries are currently negotiating a resolution on these issues, which is expected to be submitted to the WHO General Assembly for consideration in 2024.
Other guests at the conference expressed their views on the issues that the audience was concerned about. Hou Bing, CEO of Good Food, said that recent years have seen some positive and encouraging changes in China's food system transformation. In today's China, sustainable development and carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals have become national strategies, and ESG has become a hot spot for business innovation and youth entrepreneurship. At the same time, last year, China released a new version of the Dietary Guidelines, proposing a healthy and sustainable dietary pattern of the Oriental diet. These opportunities will enable us to work with all stakeholders in the food value chain to drive change.
Mr. Rosen hopes that more people of faith can keep up with the times and adopt the concept of health and sustainability as a faith-related value. He also believed that a person of faith could not be a true believer if he did not learn Xi these scientific knowledge, because he could not recognize the preciousness and complexity of the natural world. Mr. Rosen hopes that religious representatives, leaders and educators will ensure that people understand these new values in their own traditions, and that they will be able to develop a guide that expresses the ideas in each religious tradition to promote health, sustainability and ecological responsibility.
Ms. Rawhani answered questions about values and healthy eating. She once again emphasized the power of "grassroots" and the importance of education. She said that people's minds shape people's perceptions and behaviors, so bringing values such as justice and empathy to society and permeating them into the conversations and systems we have will eventually see change.
Ms. Karina noted that farmers in Brazil could provide organic food to schools. This has two benefits, one is that students get a healthy diet, and the other is that farmers get a 30% premium. Ms. Karina hopes that these experiences will be shared with more countries and that she will see more action on progress at the next climate conference, rather than continuing to discuss the same as this year. It's a call to action for everyone, not just farmers, organizations or **," she said.
Dr. Lin Zhengnan said that Daelim Tzu Chi Hospital conducted a 10-year follow-up survey and finally verified the positive impact of plant-based diets on human health and the ecological environment. However, in the current training process for medical students, these related knowledge content is not covered. Therefore, we need to disseminate this information and integrate climate change issues into professional training, such as traditional training, medical student training, and training in various fields. Only by integrating this philosophy into every aspect of daily life can we make a real difference.
Signatory to the Global Action Initiative
Catalyze real change
At the end of the forum, the moderator, Mr. Rapha L Podselver, expressed his joy at the progress that has taken place in the transformation of food systems and diets over the past few years. A growing number of organizations and individuals are aware of the link between food systems and climate change and are taking action, such as the UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action, which was signed by more than 100 countries on 1 December at COP28. He wants all to be involved and catalyse action to transform the food system through interaction with different decision-makers.
In particular, the Action Initiative signed by Good Food on Non-State Actors to Transform Food Systems for the Good of People, Nature and Climate was officially launched at COP28 by H.E. Razan Al Mubarak, High-Level Advocate on Climate Change, during Leaders Day on 1 December, and continued to be promoted during Food & Water Day on 10 December. During the drafting of the initiative, Liangshi, as a representative of the Chinese organization, also gave feedback on the improvement of the action initiative.