The future on a platter: what does sustainable nutrition mean?

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 06. 03. 11:25

Sustainable nutrition is not only an environmental issue, but also a health and economic issue – as revealed in the latest newsletter of the Hungarian Dietitians’ Association (MDOSZ). According to experts, the Hungarian diet is currently far from ideal, but with a few simple steps we can do a lot to make our diet more sustainable.

Sustainable nutrition means providing healthy food for present and future generations without depleting the Earth’s resources, causing irreversible environmental damage, and taking into account socio-economic aspects. The WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) created a joint definition for the concept in 2010 – however, implementing this remains a significant challenge.

The diet of the Hungarian population is unsustainable in many ways: we consume too much animal-based food, red meat and processed products, while there are too few vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes and oilseeds in our diet. This not only endangers our health – it contributes to cardiovascular diseases and obesity, for example – but is also unfavorable from an ecological perspective, as animal husbandry and the production of processed foods are particularly resource-intensive and polluting.

According to the MDOSZ recommendation, reducing meat consumption and prioritizing a plant-based diet is one of the most important steps towards sustainability. This does not necessarily mean a vegan lifestyle, but rather a shift towards a flexitarian, i.e. a flexible plant-based diet: 1–2 meat-free days a week, including more legumes, nuts and vegetables on the menu.

Shortening the food supply chain – for example, choosing local products, consuming seasonal vegetables and fruits – not only reduces carbon dioxide emissions, but also supports the livelihood of domestic farmers. In addition, reducing food waste is also key: in the EU, an average of 127 kilograms of food is thrown away per person per year, which represents a huge environmental and economic loss.

Sustainability is no longer just a matter for environmentalists, but also appears in health nutrition recommendations, say dieticians. According to new trends, dietary recommendations should take into account not only health, but also environmental impacts. A sustainable diet should therefore be healthy, safe, culturally acceptable and economically affordable.