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Sustainable and Healthy Diets for Achieving the SDGs: The Role of Consumers

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Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals Through Sustainable Food Systems

Abstract

Changes in current food systems are essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The concept of sustainable diets is relevant to all SDGs, particularly SDG 2, food security. It also relates most pertinently to SDG 12—responsible consumption and production. In this chapter we look at the concept of sustainable diets and its interaction with the concept of responsible consumption. We argue that market failures often prevent consumer behavior from being the driver for food systems change. Responsible policy is needed to support responsible consumption and sustainable diets.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Studies in Food Security, School of Nutrition, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Cecilia Rocha & Daniela Spagnuolo

  2. International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food), Brussels, Belgium

    Cecilia Rocha

Authors
  1. Cecilia Rocha
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  2. Daniela Spagnuolo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cecilia Rocha .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department for Innovation on Biological, Agro-Food and Forest Systems, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy, Division on Impacts on Agriculture, Forests and Ecosystem Services (IAFES), Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC), Viterbo, Italy, RUDN University, Moscow, Head of Smart Urban Nature Laboratory, Moscow, Russia

    Riccardo Valentini

  2. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada

    John L. Sievenpiper

  3. Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition, Parma, Italy, Foundation Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, Lecce, Italy

    Marta Antonelli

  4. Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition, Parma, Italy

    Katarzyna Dembska

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Rocha, C., Spagnuolo, D. (2019). Sustainable and Healthy Diets for Achieving the SDGs: The Role of Consumers. In: Valentini, R., Sievenpiper, J., Antonelli, M., Dembska, K. (eds) Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals Through Sustainable Food Systems. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23969-5_8

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