The Real Cost of Food – It doesn’t just grow on trees you know!

Foundational Texts on Food Systems

Smil, V. (2013). Harvesting the Biosphere: What We Have Taken from Nature. MIT Press.
Examines the impact of human activity on global food systems and resource extraction.

Poore, J., & Nemecek, T. (2018). “Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers.” Science, 360(6392), 987–992.
Provides a comprehensive analysis of the environmental costs of food production, comparing plant- and animal-based systems, highlighting the significantly lower land use, greenhouse gas emissions, and resource demands associated with plant-based diets.

Steinfeld, H. et al. (2006). Livestock’s Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options. Food and Agriculture Organization.
Discusses the environmental impact of livestock farming, including land use, water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Nutritional Costs of Modern Diets

Hall, K. D., Ayuketah, A., Brychta, R., et al. (2019). “Ultra-processed diets cause excess calorie intake and weight gain.” Cell Metabolism, 30(1), 67–77.
Highlights the health costs of ultra-processed foods, including their role in promoting overeating, obesity, and chronic disease by disrupting hunger regulation, increasing energy density, and reducing dietary quality.

Willett, W., Rockström, J., Loken, B., et al. (2019). “Food in the Anthropocene: The EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems.” The Lancet, 393(10170), 447–492.
Proposes dietary shifts towards plant-based eating to improve health outcomes and reduce environmental costs, highlighting the benefits of whole, minimally processed foods in promoting sustainability and preventing chronic diseases.

Barnard, N. D., Kahleova, H., Levin, S. M., et al. (2020). “Chronic inflammation and its association with dietary patterns.” Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 85, 108459.
Discusses the long-term health costs of diets rich in animal products and processed foods, highlighting their role in promoting chronic inflammation, increasing the risk of metabolic diseases, and exacerbating cardiovascular conditions.

Environmental Costs of Food Production

Rockström, J., Steffen, W., Noone, K., et al. (2009). “Planetary boundaries: Exploring the safe operating space for humanity.” Ecology and Society, 14(2), 32.
Introduces the concept of planetary boundaries, highlighting how industrial agriculture contributes to environmental degradation and surpasses ecological limits.

Tilman, D., & Clark, M. (2014). “Global diets link environmental sustainability and human health.” Nature, 515(7528), 518–522.
Explores the environmental impacts of dietary choices, advocating for sustainable food systems that balance health benefits with reduced ecological harm.

Springmann, M., Clark, M., Mason-D’Croz, D., et al. (2018). “Options for keeping the food system within environmental limits.” Nature, 562(7728), 519–525.
Analyses the global environmental impact of current food systems and proposes sustainable dietary transitions to mitigate climate change, land use, and resource depletion.

Economic and Ethical Dimensions

Nestle, M. (2007). Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health. University of California Press.
Examines the economic drivers behind food choices and their implications for public health and ethics.

Friel, S., Dangour, A. D., Garnett, T., et al. (2009). “Public health benefits of strategies to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions: Food and agriculture.” The Lancet, 374(9706), 2016–2025.
Discusses the economic and public health benefits of transitioning to sustainable food systems, highlighting reduced disease burden and environmental impact.

Pollan, M. (2008). In Defence of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. Penguin.
Highlights the ethical and systemic costs of industrial agriculture and processed food consumption.

Human and Social Costs

Patel, R. (2007). Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System. Melville House.
Discusses the disparity between overnutrition in wealthy nations and undernutrition in developing countries.

De Schutter, O. (2014). “The transformative potential of the right to food.” Report to the UN Human Rights Council.
Advocates for equitable food systems that prioritise human rights and environmental sustainability.

Holt-Giménez, E., & Shattuck, A. (2011). “Food crises, food regimes and food movements: Rumblings of reform or tides of transformation?” The Journal of Peasant Studies, 38(1), 109–144.
Examines the social and economic inequalities embedded in global food systems, highlighting structural imbalances and the need for transformative change.

Hidden Costs of Animal Agriculture

Eshel, G., Shepon, A., Makov, T., et al. (2014). “Land, irrigation water, greenhouse gas, and reactive nitrogen burdens of meat, eggs, and dairy production in the United States.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(33), 11996–12001.
Quantifies the resource intensity of animal agriculture, highlighting its high land, water, and nitrogen demands and its environmental consequences.

Foley, J. A., Ramankutty, N., Brauman, K. A., et al. (2011). “Solutions for a cultivated planet.” Nature, 478(7369), 337–342.
Highlights how agricultural expansion for animal feed drives ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss, stressing the need for sustainable land use practices.

Godfray, H. C. J., Aveyard, P., Garnett, T., et al. (2018). “Meat consumption, health, and the environment.” Science, 361(6399), eaam5324.
Discusses the interconnected health and environmental costs of meat consumption, highlighting its impact on chronic disease risk, greenhouse gas emissions, and resource depletion.

Systemic Costs

Reynolds, A., Mann, J., Cummings, J., et al. (2019). “Carbohydrate quality and human health: A series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.” The Lancet, 393(10170), 434–445.
Emphasises how high-quality, plant-based diets contribute to improved health outcomes, reducing systemic health costs by lowering the risk of chronic diseases and enhancing metabolic stability.

Sonnenburg, J. L. & Sonnenburg, E. D. (2015). The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long-Term Health. Penguin.
Links fibre-rich, plant-based diets to reduced healthcare costs by preventing chronic diseases.

Katz, D. L., Meller, S., Battista, R., et al. (2014). “Can we say what diet is best for health?” Annual Review of Public Health, 35, 83–103.
Highlights the systemic health benefits of plant-based diets, emphasising their alignment with evolutionary principles and their role in reducing chronic disease risk and promoting metabolic health.

Solutions for a Sustainable Future

Poore, J., & Nemecek, T. (2018). “Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers.” Science, 360(6392), 987–992.
Proposes strategies for reducing the environmental and social costs of food systems, advocating for plant-based diets, sustainable farming practices, and reduced reliance on resource-intensive animal agriculture.

Willett, W. et al. (2019). “Food in the Anthropocene: The EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems.” The Lancet.
Advocates for a global dietary shift towards plant-based eating to address health and environmental crises.

Foley, J. A., Ramankutty, N., Brauman, K. A., et al. (2011). “Solutions for a cultivated planet.” Nature, 478(7369), 337–342.
Explores sustainable agricultural practices that balance food production with ecological health, emphasising land use efficiency, biodiversity conservation, and resource management.