TĀ MĀTOU E TŪHURA ANA
WHAT WE ARE INVESTIGATING
Take | Issue
The foods we eat are vitally important to our health. The way they are produced has a major impact on the earth’s resources and climate change. Population-wide changes are needed if we are to achieve healthy and nutritious diets sourced from sustainable food systems.
Whāinga | Aim
This project aimed to identify: an optimal diet that meets the nutritional needs of Aotearoa New Zealand’s population while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, at minimal additional cost to individuals; and a version of this diet that is more culturally acceptable to Māori. It also sought to identify a range of feasible and acceptable policies to help New Zealanders move towards these theoretical diets.
Huarahi I Whāia | Approach
The project team used epidemiological models to predict the effects of population-wide adoption of a healthy and environmentally sustainable diet that meets the nutritional needs of New Zealanders while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, at minimal additional cost to individuals.
A review of international literature and consultation with communities, policymakers and industry representatives explored their views on sustainable kai and identified feasible and acceptable policies to help New Zealanders move towards a healthier and more sustainable diet.
The impact of these policies was modelled to inform policymakers and practitioners about how best to improve population diets to maximise health and environmental co-benefits.
NGA PUTANGA ME TE PĀNGA
Outcomes and Impact
Putanga | Outcome
Results showed that the population-wide adoption of the modelled diets would generate health gains, health system cost savings, and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe), and would improve health equity between Māori and non-Māori.
Collaborative research with Our Land and Water National Science Challenge showed that changing land use (in parts of the country where it already needs to change to meet water quality targets) would enable production of a home-grown version of this diet and meet environmental targets without significantly impacting export trade.
Further modelling of five scenarios for replacing red and processed meat in the diet of New Zealanders found that all of them offered health gains, health system cost savings, GHGe reductions, and improvements in health equity.
Five stakeholder-selected policies with good evidence of effectiveness were modelled to estimate their potential impacts: all five policies would result in health benefits and more equitable health outcomes; three of them (removing GST from core sustainable foods; mass media education campaign; and healthy food policies in schools) would result in overall cost savings; the other two would be cost-effective (school garden-to-table programmes) or borderline cost-effective (māra kai and community gardens).
Te Ara Kei Mua | Next Steps
Government-led, nationally coordinated action plans for improving food systems, food security, population diets, and land-use are needed to equitably improve the health of all New Zealanders and to mitigate environmental degradation.
This research provided a wealth of evidence that policymakers can draw on to shape food policy on Aotearoa New Zealand.
Nga Hua O Te Rangahau | Research Products
- Modelling methods and impacts of shifts in dietary intake: a graphic summary
- Modelled impacts of dietary policies: a graphic summary
Illustration
Sustainable Dietary Intake
An illustration by Yasmine El-Orfi, with words by Dr Cristina Cleghorn, of the co-benefits for human and planetary health of creating a shift towards more sustainable diets in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Click on image to view full size illustration.
Video
Research presentation: Healthy New Zealand Kai
Healthier Lives Kōrero Tahi 2024: equity and beyond (13-14 February 2024).
Click on video to watch the full presentation.
WHAKAWHITI MŌHIOTANGA
Knowledge Exchange
Puka Rangahau | Academic Publications
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- Reynolds, A.N., Cleghorn, C.L., Mann, J.I. The broader health benefits of optimised dietary thresholds proposed for type 2 diabetes prevention in Aotearoa New Zealand: simulation modelling. New Zealand Medical Journal. 2024
- Andrew N. Reynolds, Cliona Ni Mhurchu, Zi-Yi Kok, Cristina Cleghorn. The neglected potential of red and processed meat replacement with alternative protein sources: simulation modelling and systematic review. EClinicalMedicine. 2022 Dec 14;56:101774. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101774.
- Richard W. McDowell, Alexander Herzig, Tony J. van der Weerden, Cristina Cleghorn and William Kaye-Blake. Growing for good: producing a healthy, low greenhouse gas and water quality footprint diet in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, November 2022
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Cristina Cleghorn, Nhung Nghiem, Cliona Ni Mhurchu. Assessing the health and environmental benefits of a New Zealand diet optimised for health and climate protection. Sustainability, October 2022
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Pāpāho | Media
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- Red flag: Halving our red meat consumption in favour of plant-based alternatives would be good for our health, our wallets and the planet, New Zealand research reveals. The Listener, May 20-26, 2023
- Heat and eat: The climate impact of food, interactive piece, Stuff, December 2022
- Changing what we grow and where could give Kiwis a healthier diet National Business Review (YouTube), December 2022
- Changing what we grow and where could give Kiwis a healthier diet National Business Review, November 2022 [Subscriber access]
- Morning Rural News for 24 November 2022 Radio NZ, November 2022
- ‘Meat the Challenge’, The Listener, October 2022.
- What to eat to save the planet - Future Proof, The Spinoff, August 2022
- Climate and Food, 20 ways to eat a planet friendly diet, Woman Magazine, August 2022
- Which diet is best for saving the planet? Consumer NZ, May 2022
- Fake Meat, Make it till you Fake it, The Listener, April 2022.
- Evidence Based Eating: The Whole Food Solution Buzzsprout, October 2021
- Kiwi ingenuity in the future of food – Expert Reaction Science Media Centre, June 2021
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Kōnae Whakaata | Video
- Healthier Lives Kōrero Tahi 2024: equity and beyond (13-14 February 2024)
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- Healthy food environments (24 min, starting at minute 34)
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How does modelling work to investigate the impact of dietary changes?
