Change often comes with costs and benefits, and food system transformation is no different - some will win and some will lose out. How can we make sure that everyone equitably shares the benefits and burdens of change? In this episode, I talk with two experts in just food system transitions. Minna Kaljonen and Teea Kortetmäki walk us through the basics of justice and discuss the challenges and opportunities of a just food system transition. 

Check out the Just Food Project, led by Miinna and Teea.

-Minna Kaljonen, research professor, food systems and governance, Finnish Environmental Institute (SYKE); PI of the Just Food Project
-Teea Kortetmäki, assistant professer in sustainability transitions, University of Jyväkylä; Co-PI of the Just Food Project

Music in this podcast provided by ChezGroove/Pond 5

The recent update of the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations, the Nordic evidence base on what we should eat, made it clear that the environmental impacts of food are important to consider when developing dietary guidelines (check out episode 1!). Now, Nordic countries are updating their own dietary guidelines and have the opportunity to follow the NNR’s lead and incorporate environmental sustainability into their guidance on what to eat. While several Nordic countries are steeped in debate over whether dietary guidelines should be good for people and the planet or focus solely on nutrition, for one country, this is old news. In this episode, I talk with two experts who were integral to developing and launching Denmark's climate-smart dietary guidelines…back in 2021. We talk about the political climate and the process that made this a quiet success. 

Joining me in the episode: 

-Anne Pøhl Enevoldsen, Head of Department for Sustainable Food and Health at the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (she has since moved on to an exciting role at Forbrugerrådet Tænk - The Consumer Council Think). 

-Ellen Trolle, PhD, Senior Researcher at the Technical University of Denmark in the Nutrition, Sustainability and Health Promotion research group. 

What exactly do climate-smart dietary guidelines look like? Check out Denmark’s guidelines here. 

You can enjoy the theme song for the Danish Dietary guidelines in all its uncensored glory here, and it was used in this episode with permission from Fødevarestyrelsen, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration. 

Curious about the research base used to develop the Danish FBDG? Here is one of the foundational reports (in Danish) and here is how researchers translated international research on sustainable diets to the Danish context (in English). 

Credits for photos used in the cover art:
Photo of Anne Pøhl Enevoldsen, source: Danish Veterinary and Food Administration
Photo of Ellen Trolle, source: The Technical University of Denmark

Music in this podcast provided by ChezGroove/Pond 5

You've probably heard about 'ultra-processed foods' - but do you really know which foods in your fridge are 'ultra'? I talk with four guests to demystify what really makes a food ultra-processed, how they affect our health and what role they might play in a transition to more sustainable food systems. We link back to the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (check out episode 1!) and ask - should national authorities be telling us to cut back on our ultra-processed diets? 

Joining me on the episode:
-Filippa Juul, PhD (epidemiology), postdoc at New York University and co-author of the ultra-processed foods review for the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023.
-Elling Bere, PhD (public health nutrition), professor at the University of Agder, Norway, researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and co-author of the ultra-processed foods review for the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023. 
-Susanne Bryngelsson, PhD (food science), project manager in sustainable nutrition at the Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE).
-Hanna Eneroth, PhD (international health), NNR 2023 Committee member representing the Swedish National Food Agency (one hat), and recently completed a Master's focused on the climate impact of ultra-processed foods in the Swedish diet (her other hat).


Credits for photos used in the cover art:
Photo of Filippa Juul, source: Filippa Juul
Photo of Elling Bere, source: University of Agder
Photo of Susanne Bryngelsson source: RISE
Photo of Hanna Eneroth, source: Livsmedelsverket

Music in this podcast provided by ChezGroove/Pond 5

On today's show, we are going to dig into the first Nordic-wide attempt to scientifically define diets that are good for us and the environment. I talk to experts about the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations, or the NNR for short. This is a massive collaborative project across the eight Nordic and Baltic countries to produce scientific advice for national authorities on both nutrient recommendations and dietary guidelines. The NNR was just updated, and for the first time in its 40-year history environmental sustainability is a factor when recommending what we should eat. Learn more about the how the recommendations were developed and the controversies surrounding the recommendations. 

Joining me on the episode:
-Rune Blomhoff, professor at the medical faculty of the University of Oslo, Norway and the head of the NNR 2023 Committee.
-Lene Frost Andersen, professor and Head of Department of the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Norway. 
-Bob van Oort, senior researcher at CICERO, Center for International Climate Research, in Oslo, Norway.
-Elin Röös, senior lecturer at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.

Read the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023 here. 

Credits for photos used in the cover art:
Photo of Rune Blomhoff, source: University of Oslo
Photo of Lene Frost Andersen, source: University of Oslo
Photo of Bob van Oort source: CICERO
Photo of Elin Röös, source: Jenny Svennås-Gillner, SLU

Music in this podcast provided by ChezGroove/Pond 5

Hi everyone and welcome to Nordic Foodology! I'm your host, Amanda Wood. Here's a little teaser of what's to come in this podcast. Join me for expert insights on sustainable food systems, fresh from the Nordics.

Music in this podcast provided by ChezGroove/Pond 5