ASU professor comments on lack of sustainable eating in US

A new survey from the National Geographic Society and consulting firm GlobeScan shows that humans are eating healthier diets, but not necessarily in a sustainable way. Since 2008, National Geographic has measured consumption habits and attitudes in 18 countries for what it calls the Greendex survey.

The latest survey found noticeable improvements in eating habits in 11 countries, including Australia, Canada, Hungary and South Korea compared to their scores in previous surveys. India topped the list of countries for food sustainability in every Greendex category. Almost a quarter of Indians are vegetarian, and most Indians avoid beef, seen as the most environmentally damaging meat. The survey found India reduced the amount of food it imports and increased the production and consumption of organic, homegrown foods.

The Greendex survey shows that people in English-speaking countries and in Sweden were less interested in how their food was produced compared to other countries surveyed.

National Geographic talked to Nicole Darnall, a professor in the School of Sustainability and the School of Public Affairs in the College of Public Programs. Darnell told National Geographic she wasn't that surprised at the slow adoption rate of sustainability, particularly in the United States.

"We haven't seen broad, sweeping laws that would radically change how consumers interact with food," says Darnall, who is also associate director of the ASU Center for Organizational Research and Design. "We subsidize traditional food production in a way we don't subsidize natural and organic foods."

The Greendex survey found that consumers in five growing countries, totaling 1.8 billion people in population, are interested in change. When told how their habits affect the environment, people in Argentina, Brazil, China, India and Mexico indicated they would be open to changing their behavior to improve the health of the planet.

"The developing world is more nimble, less entrenched than we are," Darnall told National Geographic. "It's easier for them to consider alternatives."