Source: The Hindu
Context:
The new EAT-Lancet Commission Report highlights how global food systems have become central to multiple environmental crises — from climate change and biodiversity loss to water pollution and nutrient imbalance. It calls for a just transition toward sustainable, equitable, and healthy diets that do not compromise affordability or cultural diversity.
Food Systems and Planetary Boundaries
- Food systems alone are responsible for five of the six breached planetary boundaries, making them a major driver of ecological degradation.
- They contribute about 30% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
- Animal-based foods account for most agricultural emissions, while grain cultivation dominates nitrogen, phosphorus, and water use.
- The report warns that current agricultural practices leave a global nitrogen surplus more than double the safe ecological limit.
Key Drivers of Unsustainability
- Inefficient nutrient use (nitrogen, phosphorus).
- Overexploitation of freshwater for irrigation.
- Rising livestock emissions.
- Food waste and overproduction.
- Policy incentives that promote resource-intensive output.
Global Outlook
Even with comprehensive interventions — such as cutting food waste, raising productivity, and shifting diets — the world may only partially return to planetary safety by mid-century. The Commission also questions the assumption of 127% global GDP growth in 30 years, noting that lower growth and worsening climate shocks may be more realistic scenarios.
India’s Food System Challenge
Diet Patterns and Nutritional Transition
- India’s diet remains cereal-heavy, largely due to procurement policies and public distribution priorities.
- Meeting EAT-Lancet 2050 benchmarks requires greater consumption of vegetables, fruits, pulses, nuts, and legumes.
- Such a shift could raise consumer prices, especially in import-dependent regions, threatening food affordability.
Affordability and Justice
- Justice in food systems entails making diverse, nutritious diets affordable while respecting cultural and regional food habits.
- Sudden dietary shifts could clash with religious, caste, and local preferences, as well as with state nutrition schemes (e.g., midday meals).
Supply-Side Imperatives
To ensure a sustainable and just transition, the report suggests:
- Reducing groundwater extraction and input-intensive practices.
- Promoting climate-resilient crops and soil regeneration.
- Shifting to renewable energy in cold chains and processing units.
- Reforming procurement and fiscal incentives to make minimally processed, local foods cheaper.
Governance and Structural Justice
Addressing Market Power
- Market concentration and corporate influence distort food systems and hinder equitable reform.
- Justice requires transparent governance, worker representation, and collective bargaining rights for farmers and small producers.
Strengthening Regulation and Accountability
- There is a need for stronger institutional safeguards ensuring that ecological and labour harms are prevented, not externalised.
- Consumers should have representation in food regulatory processes to check corporate capture.
Conclusion
The idea of justice in food extends beyond nutrition to encompass environmental integrity, equity, and cultural inclusion. India must reorient its food policy toward:
- Sustainable production,
- Affordable, diverse diets, and
- Democratic control over food systems.
The path to food justice lies not merely in changing what people eat, but in transforming how food is produced, distributed, and governed — ensuring that both people and the planet can thrive within safe ecological limits.
