Recent Trends in Dietary Habits of the Italian Population: Potential Impact on Health and the Environment.

Population growth, globalization, urbanization, and economic pressures are causing changes in food consumption all over the world. The study's aims are (1) to evaluate trends in food habits in Italy to highlight deviations from the traditional Mediterranean diet, (2) to analyze the features of the present Italian diet that should be modified to meet evidence-based global scientific targets for a healthy and sustainable diet proposed by the EAT-Lancet Commission. Trends in food availability for human consumption during the period 2000-2017 were assessed using the food balance sheets (FBSs). Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission was estimated according to life cycle assessment (LCA) analyses. During the study period, the availability of animal fat and beef meat greatly declined (-58% and -32%, respectively), followed by fruit, potatoes, vegetables, milk, and non-tropical oils (-20%, -15%, -13%, -14%, and -11%, respectively). A substantial increase has occurred for tropical oils, fish, and nuts (+156, +26%, and +21%, respectively). In order to meet the targets of consumption proposed by the EAT-Lancet Commission, the consumption of legumes and nuts should be almost doubled, whereas the consumption of meat, eggs, dairy products, animal fat, tropical oils, and sugars should be reduced by proportions ranging from 60% to 90%. If implemented, these changes would reduce the diet-related greenhouse gas emission by nearly 50%. In conclusion, these data call for nutritional education programs and interventions on the food system aimed at promoting a healthier and more environmentally sustainable diet. To this end, the availability and affordability of products with a better impact on human health and the environment should be promoted.

Investigating the risks of removing wild meat from global food systems.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought humanity's strained relationship with nature into sharp focus, with calls for cessation of wild meat trade and consumption, to protect public health and biodiversity.1,2 However, the importance of wild meat for human nutrition, and its tele-couplings to other food production systems, mean that the complete removal of wild meat from diets and markets would represent a shock to global food systems.3-6 The negative consequences of this shock deserve consideration in policy responses to COVID-19. We demonstrate that the sudden policy-induced loss of wild meat from food systems could have negative consequences for people and nature. Loss of wild meat from diets could lead to food insecurity, due to reduced protein and nutrition, and/or drive land-use change to replace lost nutrients with animal agriculture, which could increase biodiversity loss and emerging infectious disease risk. We estimate the magnitude of these consequences for 83 countries, and qualitatively explore how prohibitions might play out in 10 case study places. Results indicate that risks are greatest for food-insecure developing nations, where feasible, sustainable, and socially desirable wild meat alternatives are limited. Some developed nations would also face shocks, and while high-capacity food systems could more easily adapt, certain places and people would be disproportionately impacted. We urge decision-makers to consider potential unintended consequences of policy-induced shocks amidst COVID-19; and take holistic approach to wildlife trade interventions, which acknowledge the interconnectivity of global food systems and nature, and include safeguards for vulnerable people.

Restructuring physical micro-environments to reduce the demand for meat: a systematic review and qualitative comparative analysis.

BACKGROUND: Reducing meat consumption could help to protect the natural environment and promote population health. Interventions restructuring physical micro-environments might help to change habitual behaviour. We synthesised the scientific evidence pertaining to whether, and which, interventions restructuring physical micro-environments effectively reduce the demand for meat. METHODS: We did a systematic review of quantitative studies evaluating the effectiveness of interventions restructuring physical micro-environments to reduce the demand for meat. We identified relevant records by searching six electronic databases (CAB Abstracts, Embase, PsycINFO, Science Citation Index, MEDLINE, and Dissertations & Theses) on Aug 31, 2017, contacting experts, screening publicly accessible online resources, and searching references. We included studies that evaluated the effectiveness of interventions restructuring physical micro-environments to reduce the demand for meat, defined as the actual or intended consumption, purchase, or selection of meat in real or virtual environments. We extracted data pertaining to the study samples, the interventions, and meat demand at the follow-up closest to intervention completion and at the longest follow-up, with the former representing our primary outcome. We synthesised data narratively and did a qualitative comparative analysis to identify configurations of intervention characteristics associated with, and those not found to be associated with, significant reductions in meat demand. Our Systematic Review is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42017081532. RESULTS: Of 10 733 titles and abstracts screened for eligibility, we assessed 60 full papers and included 14 papers reporting on 18 studies with 22 intervention conditions. Three interventions reducing the portion size of meat servings reduced meat consumption in randomised trials. Three interventions providing meat alternatives with supporting educational material were associated with reduced meat demand in pre-post design studies. Three of four interventions altering the sensory properties (eg, visual presentation) of meat or meat alternatives at point of purchase reduced meat demand in randomised trials. Four interventions repositioning meat products to be less prominent at point of purchase were associated with lower meat demand, but only two such interventions reached statistical significance in a randomised trial and a multiple treatment reversal design. Only one of five interventions manipulating the description of meat or meat alternatives at point of purchase was associated with lower meat demand in a multiple treatment reversal design. Evidence from randomised trials evaluating a pricing intervention or interventions restructuring several aspects of micro-environments was too scarce or inconsistent to be conclusive. The results from our qualitative comparative analysis supported the findings of this narrative synthesis. INTERPRETATION: Some interventions restructuring physical micro-environments could help to promote lower demand for meat. Interventions reducing portion sizes of meat servings, providing meat alternatives, or changing the sensory properties of meat and meat alternatives at point of purchase offered the most promise in the context of experimental studies. FUNDING: None.

Targeting the pains of food insecurity and malnutrition among internally displaced persons with nutrient synergy and analgesics in organ meat.

Living with pain is one of the distressing effects of food insecurity and malnutrition among millions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) worldwide. Vulnerability to emotional pain, metabolic imbalance, chronic illnesses and non-communicable diseases by IDPs are associated with stressed livelihood and restricted access to balanced diets in their camps. Tackling the complexity of issues related to internal displacement is challenging as 45% are globally trapped in protracted conditions. In this review, a diet-based intervention is proposed considering the potential benefits of nutrient synergy and analgesic constituents in organ meat. Providing an affordable, value added and well packaged nutrient dense diet is suggested to meet daily protein and micronutrient requirements from organ meat. Also, unlocking health-promoting bioactive substances and analgesics in restructured organ meat product is proposed as personalized dietary remedy to exert opioid bioactivity in food matrix. Exploiting the nutrient synergy of this animal by-product will not only improve the nutritional status or wellbeing but also raise the composite score of dietary diversity or food security index among IDPs by 2030.