Indian sustainable eating habits can help address climate change: Report

Indian sustainable eating habits such as limiting food waste prioritising vegetarian diets and consuming locally sourced foods can help address global climate change a pressing issue worldwide according to a reportA recent Living Planet Report by the World Wide Fund for Nature WWF showed that food consumption patterns followed by Indians are the most climatefriendly among the G20 nationsIt stated that if people in other countries adopt the Indian diet the world would need 084 per cent of the Earth to support food production by 2050 The food system is one of the major contributors to global greenhouse gas emissionsShravani Mali Consumer Analyst at GlobalData a data analytics company said India has intensified the vegan movement especially in metropolitan cities in recent yearsldquoThe countryrsquos current food consumption practices emphasises plantbased diets and climateresilient crops such as millets which require fewer resources and generate lower emissions compared to meatheavy dietsrdquo Mali said adding that ldquothe transition is also connected to a wider focus on sustainabilityrdquoCiting a recent consumer survey by GlobalData Mali said that 79 per cent of Indians said that the sustainable or environmentally friendly feature is essential while purchasing food and drinksldquoTraditional Indian diets primarily consist of lentils grains and vegetables These traditional diets which place an emphasis on seasonal and local produce are becoming more popular as environmental issues gain more attention Consequently with increasing awareness consumers will look forward to curtailing environmental burdens by adopting traditional dietary practices that prioritise plantbased foodsrdquo Mali saidDeepak Nautiyal Consumer and Retail Commercial Director APAC and Middle East at GlobalData lauded the government for introducing several initiatives to promote environmentally sustainable practices in the countryHe cited the National Millet Campaign and the International Year of Millets 2023 campaigns rolled out by the government to boost the production and consumption of millets Millets are an environmentally sustainable source of food and nutritionIn addition the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture NMSA also aims to improve climateresilient farmingMali said adopting climatefriendly diets especially Indian sustainable eating habits can be key to address critical global environmental and health challengesAlso ReadHomecooked veg thali 11 pc costlier in September nonveg thali cheaper ReportThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever