The future of protein... the protein transition... alternative proteins... In discussions about food and sustainability, we hear a lot about protein. Far less attention is paid to another essential nutrient: fat.
This is a major oversight since protein foods come as packages of many different kinds of nutrients, and so changes in how much or what kinds of food we produce in order to shift towards a more sustainable protein future, will have knock effects on how much fat is produced and available for global consumption.
This is particularly relevant when it comes to the question of meat. A substantial body of evidence suggests that, globally, we need to cut down on livestock production and associated meat and dairy consumption. But since meat is a major source of fat in our diets, reductions in animal production will also reduce global availability of fat. While this may not be an issue for over-consumers in the affluent Global North, many populations in the Global South currently consume less than nutritional guidelines recommend and to bridge this gap, more fats from plant sources will need to be produced or made available. There are various options here, each one of which will have different environmental implications.
Please join us for an event which explores the future of sustainable fats from a food systems perspective; the discussion will cover not only environmental considerations but also fat's role in nutrition, taste and pleasure.
The event was prompted by the article The role of fats in the transition to sustainable diets authored by Bojana Bajželj, Federica Laguzzi and Elin Röös and we strongly recommend that you read the paper before attending.
Agenda
0:00-0:05 Welcome and introductions - Tara Garnett
0:05-0:15 The role of fat in sustainable diets - Bojana Bajželj
0:15-0:25 The need for fat - taste
0:35-0:45 The need for fat - nutrition - Federica Laguzzi
0:45-1:00 Audience questions
1:00-1:25 How can we solve the fat gap?
Microbial/fungal oils - Hanna Karlsson
Insects - Cecilia Lalander
1:25-1:30 Audience Q&A and concluding remarks
