Interconnected Solution Streams
Institutional food environments have a mandate to feed a lot of people well. Food with Benefits prioritizes food environment design for sustainability by gathering the best expertise and evidence from government, industry, public institutions, and chefs, food service professionals, health professionals, researchers, citizens, along with the voice of future generations, along with philanthropic organizations, insurance, and food suppliers.
In fact, if institutional food environments used their size and the scope of their reach, they would be the strongest levers to optimize human health and environmental sustainability on Earth (Willett et al., 2019). If we fail to shift to planetary health menus, we will fail to achieve international climate and health goals.
Food is the most delicious lever for change and it can only happen with people of influence coming to the table together to solve what seems like intractable problems. FwB strategies are amplifying the evidence and incorporating four solution streams where experts can guide actions for the best and quickest pathways to PHM.
01
Measurement & Co-Benefits
Define and track key performance indicators of culture change and food environment shifts to foster co-benefits in nutrition/health, equity, economic, and environment.
02
Institutional Leadership
Foster cultural change through readiness assessments, leadership training, and peer learning, inspired by early adopters. Increase institutions engaged.
03
Sustainable Procurement
Support procurement officers and value chains in sourcing Canadian plant-based value-added foods to develop resilient regional systems.
04
Planetary Health Menus
Communicate co-benefits, share success stories, and engage more institutions (300+) and the public to normalize Planetary Health Menus.
Together these solution streams of action cultivate essential tipping points moving Canada in the direction of leadership for sustainability.
Proven Approaches
Harnessing the Power of Defaults
Easy and successful approaches that institutions are using to enhance their food offerings and to meet their goals is to design food environments around delicious, nourishing food that include defaulting to planetary health meals. When institutions make the sustainable option the default and alluring option, this improves uptake by 40% of foods that nourish human and planetary health while reducing animal-based foods consumption all while preserving freedom of choice.
It can only happen with people of influence coming to the table together to solve what seems like intractable problems.
