Almost 80% of those surveyed in a study that gave rise to a book that will be presented this Thursday in Lisbon, believe that the Government should intervene to promote more sustainable and healthy eating habits.
This attitude tends to be more common among women, people under 54 years of age, more educated, living in urban areas and with younger children”, reads the book Sustainability and Food, Segundo Grande Inquérito em Portugal, published by the Institute of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (Social Science Press).
The work collects data from the survey carried out in the period prior to the pandemic, framed in the pandemic context and food trends in the Western world, specifically the search for a more plant-based diet, after a century marked by the exponential growth of meat production.
“The most recent estimates indicate that there may currently be about 1.6 million unidentified viruses in mammals and birdshalf of which have the potential to cross species barriers and adapt to human hosts”, the authors point out, citing works already published by other specialists.
The book is signed by Mónica Truninger (sociology), Luísa Schmidt (sociology), João Graça (psychology), Luís Junqueira (sociology) and Pedro Prista (anthropology).
Poultry, pigs, and cows are among the most commonly used animals in the food industry that are prone to harboring influenza viruses such as bird flu and swine flu.
According to the researchers, current patterns of meat production and consumption have been identified as one of the main risk factors for “the very probable appearance” of new pandemic outbreaks.
“Although plant-based food still has a low expression among the Portuguese (5% eat at least seven plant-based meals a week), many are open to a change in eating habits, especially women, the youngest, the most educated and residents of metropolitan areas”, read the book.
Among the top barriers to a more plant-based diet, respondents identified cost (39.6%), lack of taste and satiety (18.2%), food safety (14.9%), and lack of accessibility/offer (11.4%).
The book analyzes the results of the Second Great Survey on Sustainability and Food in Portugal, applied to the Portuguese population and whose results were published in 2018.
The authors of the now published work point out that the current dietary patterns of Western industrialized societies have been associated with a growing number of global environmental problems, with an impact on human health.
“In Portugal, we eat more sugar, salt and fat and less fruit and vegetables. These problems are exacerbated by the inequalities that characterize the social fabric of the country and need to be known in greater depth”, defend the researchers.
The authors drew on a variety of literature to also show that the transformation towards more environmentally sustainable food systems implies “profound changes” in production and consumption systems, in order to protect biodiversity and mitigate climate change.
Source: Observadora
