Suppose we all ate a healthy diet... could our food supplies cope?

Suppose we all ate a healthy diet...could our food supplies cope?

This paper, by Tim Lobstein, is a presentation given at the Agri-Food Network, organised by Sustain on June 16 2004.

It asks the following question: 'Just suppose, for a fantastical moment, that the majority of consumers started to take their diets more seriously. Suppose we cut our saturated fats, limited our total fats, cut our salt and sugar... Suppose we bought fewer snacks, soft drinks, fatty meats and confectionery and purchased more fruit, vegetables, wholegrain foods and lean meats. What would it mean to our food supplies?'

The paper argues that the current patterns of farming food imports could not meet the new demands and that dramatic changes would be required. It goes on to make a series of recommendations for achieving the necessary change.