[[link removed]]

PORTSIDE CULTURE

ASSESSING SEAFOOD’S POTENTIAL TO REDUCE GLOBAL HUNGER, IMPROVE
HEALTH  
[[link removed]]


 

Harvard T. H. Chan Newsletter
February 14, 2024
Harvard T. H. Chan
[[link removed]]


*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

_ Aquatic foods have been instrumental in creating healthy and
sustainable diets in many regions across the world. They can
compensate for diminishing land on which to cultivate food for growing
populations. _

Fresh small tuna fish in basket at traditional market.,
iStock/Mardili Jamaluddin

 

With the right investments and protections, “blue foods”—seafood
including fish, molluscs, and aquatic plants—can reduce hunger and
improve nutrition globally, according to Harvard T.H. Chan School of
Public Health’s Christopher Golden.

Golden, associate professor of nutrition and planetary health,
recently spoke about blue foods on Nature’s “How to Save Humanity
in 17 Goals” podcast. He also recently co-authored a study offering
insights into how to protect blue foods-based food systems amid
climate change.

On the February 2 podcast, Golden shared why he believes blue foods
can help the world achieve United Nations Sustainable Development Goal
number two, Zero Hunger. Blue foods are nutritionally richer and more
environmentally sustainable than foods grown on land, he explained.
Blue foods can provide essential micronutrients—such as iron, zinc,
vitamins A and B12, and fatty acids—that many populations lack
access to. Additionally, blue foods can wean people away from red and
processed meats—a move that is better for human and planetary health
alike—and can compensate for diminishing land on which to cultivate
food for growing populations.

“Although blue foods have been neglected historically, because they
have been viewed more as a wild food resource, farming them and
creating innovative technologies to help produce aquatic foods has
really been instrumental in creating healthy and sustainable diets in
many regions across the world,” Golden said.

He noted that neglect of blue foods is rooted in “a kind of Western
orientation” in thinking about food systems. Many countries in
Africa, Asia, and the Indian and Pacific Oceans already rely heavily
on blue foods—and are among the most vulnerable to food insecurity
caused by warming ocean temperatures and other environmental changes.

The study Golden co-authored, published on February 5 in Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), tackled the issue of
access to seafood among vulnerable populations. The study examined how
people in the small island state of Kiribati get their seafood. The
researchers found that although people primarily buy blue foods at
local markets, households with less access to markets tended to eat
the most blue foods—likely because families either fish on their own
or are gifted seafood by their neighbors. The findings provide new
insights into how people obtain blue foods, suggesting possibilities
for policy changes that could help improve households’ access to
these foods through changing environmental conditions.

Listen to the Nature podcast: ‘Blue foods’ to tackle hidden hunger
and improve nutrition

Read the PNAS study: Characterizing pathways of seafood access in
small island developing states

* sustainable foods
[[link removed]]
* aquatic ecosystems
[[link removed]]
* hunger
[[link removed]]

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

 

 

 

INTERPRET THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT

 

 

Submit via web
[[link removed]]

Submit via email
Frequently asked questions
[[link removed]]
Manage subscription
[[link removed]]
Visit portside.org
[[link removed]]

Twitter [[link removed]]

Facebook [[link removed]]

 



########################################################################

[link removed]

To unsubscribe from the xxxxxx list, click the following link:
[link removed]