The food sector is responsible for about one third of all greenhouse gas emissions caused by humans. "It is therefore time for an urgent system change, also in view of the growing demographic development. We should not only keep an eye on whether our food is healthy for people, but also for the environment. This requires a holistic approach," says AIT scientist Beatrix Wepner.
At the AIT Center for Innovation Systems & Policy, Beatrix Wepner and her colleagues work intensively on systemic approaches that can contribute to the transformation of the entire food system. A study on "Healthier lives through food" was recently completed for EIT Food. "Here, we have identified key enablers and domains.”
EIT Food stands for the European Institute of Innovation and Technology Food. The main goal of EIT Food is to make the food supply more sustainable, healthier and consumer friendly. The expertise of several centres (Center for Health & Bioresources, Center for Technology Experience & Center for Innovation Systems & Policy) at the AIT was used across the board for the project. One focus of the study was the question of how we can reduce non-communicable diseases with the help of healthy nutrition and at the same time promote sustainability. "We prepared the topics systematically and supported EIT Food in their strategic considerations". Clear fact sheets provide summaries of the latest scientific evidence on how nutrition can help prevent non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, strokes, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and cancer.
However, 70% of emissions in the food sector come from agriculture. Here, too, the experts of AIT are working on projects such as Path2Dea on the transformation of food systems. The EU project Path2Dea is about agroecology and the linking of agriculture and digitalisation.