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Fairplay4Food. A first step towards a weighing system for the effects of different protein sources on health, environment and society
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Series / Report no.
RIVM rapport 2023-0475
Open Access
Type
Report
Language
nl
Date
2024-06-27
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Title
Fairplay4Food. A first step towards a weighing system for the effects of different protein sources on health, environment and society
Translated Title
Fairplay4Food .Een eerste stap op weg naar een afwegingskader voor het meten van de gevolgen van een eiwittransitie. Effecten op onze gezondheid, het milieu en de samenleving
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Abstract
In Nederland bestaat voldoende aanbod van gezond en veilig voedsel. Hoewel ons voedsel in het algemeen veilig is, draagt ons huidige eetpatroon bij aan een aantal chronische ziekten, zoals hart- en vaatziekten en overgewicht. Ook het milieu ondervindt problemen. De productie van al ons voedsel, met name van dierlijke producten, gaat gepaard met de productie van broeikasgassen, land-, water- en fosfaatgebruik, verontreiniging van bodem en oppervlaktewater met nutriƫnten en gewasbeschermingsmiddelen, en met de productie van veel mest en afval. De Nederlands overheid heeft als doel gesteld om in Nederland minder producten van dierlijke oorsprong en meer van plantaardige oorsprong te consumeren en produceren. Met het minder produceren en consumeren van dierlijke producten als vlees, eieren en zuivel, zou een belangrijke bijdrage geleverd kunnen worden aan het verminderen van een aantal ziekten en van de zojuist genoemde milieuproblemen. Maar zo'n verandering heeft meer gevolgen, bijvoorbeeld voor de koopkracht van consumenten en voor de handelsbalans van Nederland. We verdienen bijvoorbeeld veel geld aan de export van dierlijke producten. Aan de andere kant genieten we misschien wel meer van onze omgeving als er stallen verdwijnen en als de stankoverlast minder wordt. Maar hoe kun je het gedrag van consumenten veranderen, hoe kun je ze minder vlees, zuivel of eieren laten kopen? En wat gebeurt er als we in Nederland stoppen met het eten en produceren van bijvoorbeeld varkens? In Fairplay4Food (Fp4F) beschrijven we de ontwikkeling van een methode waarmee we de effecten van een aantal scenario's (waarin we minder dierlijke producten kopen, eten en/of produceren) kunnen vergelijken. Verschillende experts op het gebied van gezondheid, milieu en economie is gevraagd om de gevolgen van die scenario's te beoordelen. Wat zijn de gevolgen voor onze gezondheid, voor ons milieu, voor onze economie als we in Nederland geen varkens meer produceren en/of eten? Ten slotte hebben we met deze methode verschillende (virtuele) beleidsmakers het optimale scenario laten selecteren. En wat blijkt? Hoe je er ook naar kijkt, als vertegenwoordiger van het Ministerie van VWS, van Milieu of van Economische zaken: minder vlees produceren en minder vlees consumeren is gunstig voor de volksgezondheid, gunstig voor het milieu Ʃn gunstig voor de economie: Minder vlees? Een afgewogen keuze! Dit afwegingskader kan dus erg nuttig zijn in discussies over complexe onderwerpen als de eiwittransitie.
People in the Netherlands have plenty of healthy and safe food at their disposal and enjoy a long life expectancy. Although food in the Netherlands is generally safe from both a microbiological and toxicological standpoint, the current dietary patterns of the Dutch population cause substantial health losses, especially from chronic diseases. Besides, our current food system poses a major burden on the environment because of significant greenhouse gas emissions, land and resource use (e.g. water and phosphorus), soil and water contamination by nutrients and pesticides, as well as waste production. A protein transition, less consumption of animal-based protein and more consumption of plant-based protein could help to improve both our health and the environment. Apart from affecting our health and the environment, such a transition may also have consequences for economic and various socio-cultural aspects. Fairplay4Food (Fp4F) describes the effects of various scenarios that aim to contribute to a protein transition and aims to identify the best option. To this end, we built a multi-criteria decision analysis tool that was used to find a balance between health and sustainability, while accounting for the economic and socio-cultural aspects involved. Three scenarios were developed: a supermarket strategy with higher meat prices and/or an information nudge (1); a scenario in which consumers no longer consumed pork (2); and a scenario in which consumers no longer consumed pork and in which farmers no longer produced pigs (3). Experts were asked to value the effects of these scenarios on human health, the environment and socio-economic aspects. These values were included in the tool. Finally, we tested the developed tool. Four (virtual) policymakers who were responsible for either human health, the environment or economic affairs were asked to indicate their preference for the domains of health, the environment or for economics, by giving weight to these domains. After the inclusion of their preferences, the tool calculates/selects the scenario that fits in best with a policymaker's preference. Out of the three scenarios tested, a scenario in which pigs were no longer produced (in the Netherlands) and in which pork was no longer eaten by Dutch consumers turned out to be the preferred scenario contributing to the desired protein transition for policymakers, responsible for either human health, the environment or economic affairs. This study shows that, despite different preferences, agreement is possible, and that this tool can be very useful in a discussion on complex issues such as the protein transition.
People in the Netherlands have plenty of healthy and safe food at their disposal and enjoy a long life expectancy. Although food in the Netherlands is generally safe from both a microbiological and toxicological standpoint, the current dietary patterns of the Dutch population cause substantial health losses, especially from chronic diseases. Besides, our current food system poses a major burden on the environment because of significant greenhouse gas emissions, land and resource use (e.g. water and phosphorus), soil and water contamination by nutrients and pesticides, as well as waste production. A protein transition, less consumption of animal-based protein and more consumption of plant-based protein could help to improve both our health and the environment. Apart from affecting our health and the environment, such a transition may also have consequences for economic and various socio-cultural aspects. Fairplay4Food (Fp4F) describes the effects of various scenarios that aim to contribute to a protein transition and aims to identify the best option. To this end, we built a multi-criteria decision analysis tool that was used to find a balance between health and sustainability, while accounting for the economic and socio-cultural aspects involved. Three scenarios were developed: a supermarket strategy with higher meat prices and/or an information nudge (1); a scenario in which consumers no longer consumed pork (2); and a scenario in which consumers no longer consumed pork and in which farmers no longer produced pigs (3). Experts were asked to value the effects of these scenarios on human health, the environment and socio-economic aspects. These values were included in the tool. Finally, we tested the developed tool. Four (virtual) policymakers who were responsible for either human health, the environment or economic affairs were asked to indicate their preference for the domains of health, the environment or for economics, by giving weight to these domains. After the inclusion of their preferences, the tool calculates/selects the scenario that fits in best with a policymaker's preference. Out of the three scenarios tested, a scenario in which pigs were no longer produced (in the Netherlands) and in which pork was no longer eaten by Dutch consumers turned out to be the preferred scenario contributing to the desired protein transition for policymakers, responsible for either human health, the environment or economic affairs. This study shows that, despite different preferences, agreement is possible, and that this tool can be very useful in a discussion on complex issues such as the protein transition.
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Publisher
Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu RIVM