Key Issues and Information Resources

Sustainable
Agri-Food Production
and Consumption
Forum

	Introduction
	Agri-food Production and Bio-diversity
	Water Use and Water Pollution
	Energy
	Climate Change
	Food Safety and Biotechnology
	Use of Chemicals
	Desertification
	Trade and Environment
	Consumption
	Make a link to your web site

KEY ISSUES AND INFORMATION SOURCES -
Consumption

What we eat affects not only our health and well-being but also the environment and natural resources. The production of different types of food requires the input of different natural resources that have different environmental impacts.

Grain production and consumption are the most significant measures of available food supply as they provide an indicator of nutritional adequacy. Much of the grain consumption in wealthy countries is indirect, eaten in the form of meat, milk, eggs and other livestock products. Although developing countries' consumption of livestock products is increasing, there still remains a wide gap between that of developing and of developed countries.

Although meat consumption is often associated with a better standard of living, it is not always associated with a longer life span. The World Health Organization cites obesity and high-fat diets as a rapidly expanding threat to the health of populations not only in developed countries, but also in an increasing number of developing countries as they adopt higher-income lifestyles.

The way food is prepared and consumed also has significant impacts on the environment. German and Swedish studies have shown that about 20% of total energy input to agri-food production is consumed by meat production; another 20% is used in home preparation.

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A Discussion Paper is available.

Current food consumption patterns and global sustainability

This discussion paper rovides a complete picture of the food system highlighting the causes and the effects of current global food consumption patterns.

Information resources provided by various stakeholders:

UNEP’s activities on SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION

began in 1998. Production process oriented activities, such as Cleaner and Safer Production and Industrial Pollution Management are being supplemented with demand-side activities. Sustainable production and consumption policies are two sides of the same sustainability "coin" and UNEP is addressing them in an integrated manner. UNEP’s site on Sustainable Consumption provides information on its activities and links to networks of experts.

Organisation web site: http://www.uneptie.org/sustain/home.html.

The EU’S DIRECTOR GENERAL XXIV ON CONSUMER PROTECTION AND CONSUMER HEALTH PROTECTION

has a site where you can find publications, reports and legal questions regarding the relation between food and health.

Organisation web site: http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/dg24/health/index_en.

Specific pages of interest:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/dg24/policy/committee/index_en.html - Here where, you can link directly to the EU Consumer Committee.

The CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION

is an independent Federal regulatory agency which helps keep consumers safe by reducing the risk of injury or death from consumer products. The site also provides information on products recalls business and regulatory information and a section where consumers can report unsafe products.

Organisation web site: http://www.cpsc.gov/.

CONSUMER.GOV

is a link to a broad range of US federal information resources available online. It is designed to locate information by category including Food, Health and Product Safety. Each category has subcategories to direct the user to areas within individual federal web sites containing related information.

Organisation web site: http://www.consumer.gov/index.htm.

Specific pages of interest:

http://www.consumer.gov/food.htm - is to find out more on the food category and link to the Food and Drug Administration’s catalogue of consumer publications.

The AUSTRALIAN CONSUMER'S ASSOCIATION, CHOICE

is an independent organisation to assist and help consumer choices. It provides a magazine and other publications and products.

Organisation web site: http://www.choice.com.au/.

The DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL STUDIES at Roskilde University

is working on interdisciplinary research and education in the field of environment and production. Environmental problems are seen in terms of empirical, technological and manufacturer/ consumer behaviour aspects and they are conceptualised in a holistic and relational manner.

Organisation web site: http://www.teksam.ruc.dk/.

Specific pages of interest:

http://www.komm.ruc.dk/ECTS/Komm_ToC.html - The research activities at the Department include joint and individual programmes on a national and international basis and are organised within five Research Areas; if you want to find out more about the research area on sustainable food production and consumption.

CONSUMERS INTERNATIONAL

Consumers International supports, links, and represents consumer groups and agencies all over the world. It strives to promote a fairer society through defending the rights of all consumers, including poor, marginalized, and disadvantaged people, by: supporting and strengthening member organizations and the consumer movement in general, and campaigning at the international level for policies which respect consumer concerns. There are specific pages about: International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), IUCN—The World Conservation Union.

Organisation web site: http://www.consumersinternational.org.

The TRANSATLANTIC CONSUMER DIALOGUE

is a forum of US and EU consumer organisations which develops and agrees joint consumer policy recommendations to the US government and European Union to promote the consumer interest in EU and US policy making.

Organisation web site: http://www.tacd.org/index.htm.

Specific pages of interest:

http://www.tacd.org/about/contacts.htm#groups - There are three working groups covering also food-related issues; in particular, you can find recommendations on food safety and standards.