Towards healthy and sustainable diets in sub-Saharan Africa

Dietary change needs to be an integral part of food system transformations to enable food and nutrition security within the planetary boundaries. However, what type of diets and dietary shifts could lead to healthy and sustainable outcomes under different ecological and socioeconomic conditions is not yet sufficiently clear. In this project, we aim to better understand the links between dietary patterns, nutrition, and the environment and identify realistic dietary changes that could lead to more healthy and sustainable outcomes under varying conditions in Africa. Using nationally representative micro-level data from three countries – Ethiopia, Ghana, and Nigeria – we improve the methodological approaches for a combined nutritional and environmental sustainability assessment of diets, considering the socioeconomic context. Our focus is on evaluating food security, dietary quality, and nutrient adequacy of various macronutrients and micronutrients and assessing the environmental impacts of diets in terms of carbon, water, and land-use footprints and proxies of biodiversity. We also analyze the costs of diets to evaluate the affordability of healthy and sustainable nutrition. Beyond analyzing average diets, we also differentiate between urban and rural areas and between richer and poorer households. Results will lead to relevant policy recommendations and can also stimulate important follow-up work to improve sustainable food and nutrition security.