The Critical Role of Global Food Consumption Patterns in Achieving Sustainable Food Systems

Publication Date: 2012

If current population and consumption trends continue, humanity will need the equivalent of two Earths to support it by 2030 (Global Footprint Network, 2012). These consumption trends are of particular concern when related to food. The most vital of all sectors and yet the most resource intensive, a global discussion has begun in recognition of the need to address the unsustainable trajectory of the global food system. What has not yet been included in these discussions, however, is the need to go to the roots of the challenge: the increasingly resource-intensive consumption patterns that largely dictate the shape of our global food production system.

This paper examines the largely unexplored impacts of food consumption patterns on the sustainable productivity of the agricultural resource base and in turn, food security. The decision to produce a discussion paper on the topic is the result of a consultative process held at UNEP offices in Paris in January 2012. The intention of the paper is to highlight the role that current and future food consumption patterns play in food security and sustainable development.