Much thought has been given to the foods offered to delegates attending the COP26 meeting in Glasgow. 

Menus are ‘climate friendly’ and 80 per cent of foods will be sourced from Scotland. Each menu item will also have a declaration of carbon footprint, helping to steer towards more sustainable dietary choices. 

Yet with all the attention to menus, a commitment to providing consumer guidance on more sustainable dietary choice is not on the agenda.

The UK government report Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener contains recommendations to reduce emissions from agriculture, such as supporting research into feed supplements to reduce methane belching from cattle. 

The report also supports funding for the development of meat alternative products. But so far all of this appears lacking at COP26.

Estimates are that about one third of global greenhouse gases are linked to food and drink. Reductions to warming and other damages to the environment need changes on both the push and pull sides of our food systems: changes to agricultural practices and priorities, and changes to support consumer awareness and better choices (Freelance nutrition writer Ursula Arens, 2021).

Please visit https://mynutriweb.com/cop26-why-are-our-food-systems-not-on-the-menu/ to read the full article regarding the issue.