Reimagining Our Menu for Sustainable Development

This chapter examines the pivotal role of food in realising the ambitions of the global agendas of climate change adaptation (CCA), disaster risk reduction (DRR) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The chapter advocates for a reduction in red (mammal) meat consumption and provides evidence that doing so will directly contribute to the achievement of seven of the 17 SDGs: Goal 2) Zero hunger; Goal 3) Good health and wellbeing; Goal 6) Clean water and sanitation; Goal 12) Responsible consumption and production; Goal 13) Climate action; Goal 14) Life below water, and Goal 15) Life on land. The chapter plots out a path to improved global sustainability, with greater societal resilience through changes in global food consumption choices. Citing the EAT-Lancet Commission, the chapter proposes that government policies and subsidies will need to be redirected away from harmful agricultural practices and towards ones that are better for our health, for our environment and for our economies.