What is the food of the future? Jean-Pierre Kiekens, a food policy expert, argues that most food today is both unhealthy and unsustainable, and that the food of the future is plant-based. In his presentation, Jean-Pierre Kiekens reviews the state of our current knowledge about the role of food for health. He stresses that, in countries such as the U.S. and Canada, most chronic diseases and causes of premature death, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer, are now proven to be closely correlated with widespread unhealthy eating and food. He emphasizes that plant-based diets have amazing preventive virtues, as they are shown, when associated with simple lifestyle habits such as not smoking, to reduce by some 80% the risk of disease, therefore playing a central role for healthy longevity. Plant-based diets are actually found in most areas of the world where healthy longevity has been observed (Okinawa, Ikaria, Loma Linda, etc.). In his presentation, Jean-Pierre Kiekens reviews the profound implications of current food production and consumption patterns not only on our health but also in terms of climate change, deforestation, pollution, land-use, bio-diversity, antibiotic resistance, food borne illnesses and pandemic risks. He suggests that a readily available solution that is conducive of both health and sustainability is to move towards mostly plant-based diets. Such diets are not necessarily 100% vegan, but their plant content – i.e. veggies, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds – is very high. From a public health and finance perspective, Jean-Pierre Kiekens argues that transitioning towards plant-based food nutrition would enable the prevention of most chronic diseases, and therefore contribute to reducing health expenditures – which account for nearly 50% of public spending in a jurisdiction like the province of Quebec. He also argues that a transition towards plant-based foods and nutrition would make lots of economic sense, as it would not only help reducing public health spending but would also make food production much more efficient – as animal production is indeed inherently inefficient and costly compared to the production of healthy food crops. He stresses that more intensive animal production is not a suitable solution either, as it requires vast amounts of lands, typically farmed with genetically modified crops, and it generates substantial pollution and greenhouse gases. Animal production generates, in any case, immense animal suffering, which would be dramatically reduced though a transition towards plant-based foods. To replace animal proteins, Jean-Pierre Kiekens emphasizes the role of legumes, such as peas, beans and lentils, which are particularly environmentally friendly and provide nutritious, fibre packed, plant-based proteins. The role of legumes, also known as pulses, was in fact emphasized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) – as it declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses. From a global perspective, while plant-based diets can be found in a few countries, such as India, regions such as North America and Europe are shown to have far too high animal protein consumption, and are therefore the regions, along with countries such as Brazil and China, where a dietary change is the most urgent. Against a background of still rising world population, increased evidence of climate change, limited and increasingly less productive farmland areas, and increased evidence of the profound effects of food choices on human health, Jean-Pierre Kiekens argues that a transition towards plant-based food production and consumption is a most promising way forward, at the national and global levels. From a public policy perspective, Jean-Pierre Kiekens argues that transitioning towards plant-based food is a public health necessity (to curb diseases, improve quality of life, improve longevity …), an environmental necessity (to curb climate change, deforestation, reduce pollution, protect biodiversity and landscapes …), the right thing to do vis a vis the animal world, and an economic opportunity – by phasing out inherently inefficient, costly and often subsidized animal food industries. While public policy level change is typically slow and uncertain, Jean-Pierre Kiekens stresses in his presentation the growing popularity of the vegan movement and how one can make immediate and lasting dietary improvements at the individual and family level. He even explains that a transition towards healthy eating, through a plant-based diet, can actually help reducing our weekly food expenditures – rather than increasing them, as it is often believed. And among the humorous notes of his presentation, he suggests that the infamous Trump steaks, even if they are in fact Bush Brothers rebranded steaks, are not a solution either – obviously.

• published: 16 May 2016
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