Opinion: Food culture holds key to a nutritious, sustainable future

On the global stage, there is a silent tragedy of epic proportions being played out. It is a tale of how our food preferences — often shaped by forces outside our individual control — are unwittingly feeding into a cycle of nutrition and environmental crises. But behind the scenes lies a titan waiting in the wings; the forgotten force shaping our food choices: culture. The playwrights — the commercial and governmental architects of a damaging food system — must flip the script, spotlight this crucial missing element in our understanding of food, and bring culture center stage to revitalize our food consumption habits. What the science tells us We can feed 10 billion people healthily and sustainably and safeguard our planet, according to the 37 leading experts comprising the 2019 EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health. But we can’t continue business as usual — we have to make significant changes, especially in countries where consumption exceeds the planetary boundaries. The current operation of our food systems is placing an unsustainable burden on our health systems. Poor diets are a leading cause of morbidity and premature mortality in nearly all countries in the world. And the choices we make about food, within our food systems, are contributing to climate change, which is existential for humankind. However, it does not need to be like this. As the Eat Lancet report showed, there are ways to make our food systems deliver good health for all, within planetary boundaries. A key element of the changes needed is diet shifts. The shift has already started Already, the world has begun its journey toward improved nutrition and sustainability, in part driven by cultural shifts. But this is restricted to the select few who can afford it, centered particularly in the global north, and contrasts with the growing market for unhealthy and unsustainable food choices. Since the 20th century, Western societies have increasingly recognized the health impacts of diet. Today, the global health and wellness market is worth over $4.3 trillion, as of 2020. However, this trend is limited by geography and socioeconomic status — only the rich and those in certain places can access these healthy trends — and it is monumentally foiled by the growing supply of processed, unhealthy foods, high in calories, sugar, salt, and saturated fats, rather than fresh, whole foods. Culture has already started to positively affect the way we eat but must be leveraged further for the transition to be truly universal. Why? Because supply alone is not enough Until now, the predominant focus on food consumption shifts has been on supply-side solutions — improving efficiency, enhancing nutritional value, and increasing the accessibility of specific foods. But are we missing the forest for the trees? Without the buy-in of society — of parents who shop for groceries, of school directors who curate lunchtime menus, of supermarket procurement officers, of religious leaders who prescribe and proscribe food groups — there can be no progress toward or incentives for those who produce healthy foods from sustainable food systems. Without this shift in habits, values, and behaviors, we simply will not be able to move consumption toward healthy and sustainable choices fast enough. This is what is known as food culture. Food culture can accelerate change Food culture is all around us. It is subtle but it is there. It drives our morning rituals, our lunch routines, our weekend celebrations. It is made up of the prevailing stories around food within a given society. These stories shape our thinking, values, preferences; what is cool, what is important, what is good and not so good; what is worth protecting, and what is worth striving for. The departed American chef Anthony Bourdain said it best: “I think food, culture, people and landscape are all absolutely inseparable.” What is on the table when family, friends, and community share food, what is on the menu in restaurants around the city, what is being taught in schools, what the storyline is in the public debate and private commercials — all of these inform and are a product of food culture. The global community of change-makers must now focus on leveraging this food culture to increase demand for healthy and sustainable preferences in an inclusive way, which respects all cultures. Culture’s power in shaping perceptions When it comes to food, we have yet to activate the toolbox of strategies that culture provides to shift consumption all around the world. We know from history that mindset shifts happen and can happen relatively quickly. When they do, it causes a chain reaction. With tobacco consumption, for example, social norms helped to reduce the preference, making cigarette smoking a faux pas in many societies. In the fight for LGBTQI+ equality, values, perceptions, beliefs, and culture have played a pivotal role in shifting mindsets in some places. Building supportive food cultures for sustainable food systems Food culture offers that strategy toolbox to expedite the evolution of our food consumption. How? By adopting compelling new narratives that stir emotions, change viewpoints, and motivate action, by leveraging storytellers, media channels, and influential figures, and by engaging with cultural institutions such as schools, religion, or sports. Through language and cultural symbols, we can create new stories and strategies for action. These stories, told in the media, at home, at school, where we play, where we worship, and where we buy our food, can shape how we feel, value, and think about food. Cultural strategies have been successfully shifting perceptions and driving impact across the world for decades on other nonfood issues. One such example is edutainment — that is, media intended to be both educational and enjoyable. MTV Shuga, a powerful campaign that combines entertainment and education, has successfully transformed culture and behaviors, particularly in the realm of sexual and reproductive health. Through engaging storytelling and addressing pressing challenges, it sparks important conversations and empowers individuals to make informed choices. By blending entertainment with educational messaging, MTV Shuga captures attention, evokes empathy, and inspires positive action, challenging long-held beliefs and fostering healthier attitudes. These strategies, when effectively implemented, can promote positive attitudes toward nutritious and eco-friendly foods, boosting their demand across demographics. This benefits businesses, consumers, nutrition experts, and policymakers alike. Social science reveals that only 25% of a population needs to shift their views to drive significant societal change. Leveraging cultural norms leads to a trickle-down effect, where early adopters influence the wider population, catalyzing a mindset shift. The newly established Food Culture Alliance — hosted by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, or GAIN, and in partnership with EAT and Global Business School Network — will do this work at the global and country levels. We are recruiting and supporting the 25%. The nations of the world are developing new strategies to shift consumption patterns. Governments are interested not in protecting people from themselves so much as in protecting government budgets and government priorities from individual choices. But strategies are not enough. They exist on paper and screens. They must be supplemented by shifts in mindsets, values, and norms — that is, culture. And as the saying goes, “culture eats strategy for breakfast.”