TRADE AND MARKET I NG New ‘sustainable’ diet underestimates value of potatoes A recent report on improving global diets in a sustainable way has gathered a lot of attention, both positive and negative. EAT-Forum advocated a big switch to plant-based foods, but has seemed to overlook the contribution of one of the world’s most versatile, nutritious and sustainable foods – the potato. I n the introduction to he Food Planet Health Healthy Diets From Sustainable Food Systems, Prof Walter Willett of the Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University, USA said: “Transformation to healthy diets by 2050 will require substantial dietary shifts. Global consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes will have to double, and consumption of foods such as red meat and sugar will have to be reduced by more than 50%. A diet rich in plan-based foods confers both improved health and environmental benefits.” The report was written with input from 37 scientists from 16 countries. EAT Forum is a non-profit organisation, supported by the Norwegian Stordalen environmental foundation, the Stockholm Resilience Centre and the Wellcome Trust, a medical charity set up by the Wellcome pharmaceutical company. It came up with a guide healthy diet consisting of 2503kcal a day weighing 1.323.8kg. As well as a decrease in animal products, the diet focuses on the increase of whole grains, vegetables, fruit and plant-based proteins such as nuts and legumes. However, it also calls for a limit in starchy vegetable intake, namely potatoes and cassava, to just 50g a day. In the summary report, there is little reason given for the recommended volumes, although it does say they are a guide and there is bound to be variations on ideal EAT Forum recommended Healthy Diet Whole grains - rice, wheat, corn etc Starchy veg - Potatoes or cassava Vegetables Fruits Dairy foods Protein sources Beef, lamb & pork Chicken & other poultry Eggs Fish Legumes Nuts Added fats Unsaturated oils Saturated oils Added sugars Total Source: EAT Forum Grams per day 232 50 300 200 250 14 29 13 28 75 50 40 11.8 31 1,323.8 kg Calories kcal/day 811 39 78 126 153 30 62 19 40 284 291 354 96 120 2503 diets in different locations across the world. The diet has attracted criticism from those in the meat and dairy industry, who said that it underestimated the importance of producing meat and milk from grass and the increasingly efficient use of feed and resources. But there has been less attention on the downgrading of potatoes. There is plenty of evidence that potatoes have a major role to play in producing food which is nutritionally rich as well as environmentally sustainable and efficient. The Chinese and Indian Governments both have programmes to increase the production and consumption of potatoes as pressure on their food supplies increase. Meanwhile, breeding and agronomy programmes run by the International Potato Centre across the world are increasing the yield and nutritional value of potatoes and other crops such as sweet potatoes and cassava. The report has judged foods on their protein and calorie value. However, the more important calculation of calories or protein per hectare appears to have been ignored. Using that calculation, potatoes deliver more protein per hectare than rice and a similar amount as barley – both grains, which EAT Forum promotes more consumption of. The high yields of potatoes and cassava mean that they also deliver large amounts of calories per hectare. In fact, cassava has the highest calorie per hectare rate of any food aside from sugar crops or palm oil at 19.4 million calories per hectare. Potato World 2019 • number 1 39 Pagina 38

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