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Although research has demonstrated the positive nutritional value and environmental benefits associated with edible insect consumption, several factors challenge the growth and development of the edible insect industry for human consumption in the US and Canada. Cultural and psychological factors account for much of the aversion US and Canadian consumers display. The absence of specific regulation also constitutes a structural barrier to more widespread production and sale of edible insects. Compared to the US, the European Union has a more developed edible insect industry and has enacted legislation that removes some of the barriers. As consumer awareness of the putative health benefits of edible insects increases, more comprehensive regulations may emerge to keep pace with the growth of this industry. Overall, a multi-disciplinary approach that addresses both benefits and barriers to consumption is needed to facilitate a robust market for edible insects in the US and Canada.

This study evaluated the nutritional, economic, and environmental impacts of a Meatless Monday (MM) National School Lunch Program (NSLP) in a large urban US school district. After averaging the nut...

Understanding environmental impacts on crop growth and quality is essential in developing sustainable agricultural practices with climate change. Shifts are expected in precipitation, an essential ...

Objective:Navajo Nation residents experience extreme rates of poverty, food insecurity and diet-related diseases. While many residents travel far to shop at grocery stores, there are small stores closer to home that could provide more healthy options, like fruits and vegetables (F&V). Little is known from the perspective of store owners and managers regarding the barriers and facilitators to offering F&V; the present study contributes to filling that gap.Design:Data were collected through structured interviews from a sampling frame of all store owners or managers in the setting (n 29).Setting:Small stores in Navajo Nation, New Mexico, USA. Navajo Nation is predominantly rural and the largest federally recognized Native American tribe in the USA.Participants:Sixteen managers and six owners at twenty-two stores.Results:When asked about the types of foods that were most commonly purchased at their stores, most participants reported snacks and drinks (82 and 68 %, respectively). Many participants reported they would like to offer more fresh F&V. However, barriers included varying perceived customer demand, limited F&V choices from distributors and (for some managers) limited authority over product selection.Conclusions:Findings contribute to the discussion on engaging store owners and managers in providing quality, healthy foods close to home in low-income, rural regions.

What is the role of Northeastern agricultural products in the US food system? This paper presents a typology that categorizes where agricultural production and distribution of a specific geographic area, in this case a multi-state region, fits within the US food system. The place of each food is defined based on its production volume, scope of distribution, market timing and agro-ecological niche. Six distinct roles that a region might play in supplying food are identified: (a) the region is a national production center, (b) the region is a seasonally important supplier, (c) regional production and distribution is the primary scale for supplying a food, (d) the product occupies an agro-ecological niche, (e) a product is a co-product of another industry in the region, and (f) the product is marketed explicitly for its geographic provenance as a local or regional product. Illustrative examples of each role are provided from the research of the Enhancing Food Security in the Northeast (EFSNE) regional food systems project. The examples draw from a variety of methodological approaches including regional self-reliance analysis, product case studies, supply chain models, and examination of spatial and temporal patterns in crop and livestock production and marketing. While presented in the context of the Northeast, the typology would likely be valuable for characterizing other regions of the country. We need such a typology to better understand and communicate the value of geographically dispersed agricultural production to creating a resilient food system, thereby improving our decisions of how to respond to future agricultural challenges

Crop yield maps are valuable for many applications in precision agriculture, but are often inaccessible to growers and researchers wishing to better understand yield determinants and improve site-specific management strategies. A method for mapping sub-field crop yields from remote sensing imagery could increase the availability of crop yield maps. A variation of the scalable crop yield mapping approach (SCYM, Lobell et al. in Remote Sensing of Environment 164:324–333, 2015) was developed and tested for estimating sub-field maize (Zea mays L.) yields at 10–30 m without the use of site-specific input data. The method was validated using harvester yield monitor records for 21 site-years for irrigated and rainfed fields in eastern Nebraska, USA. Prediction error ranged greatly across site-years, with relative RMSE scores of 10.8 to 38.5%, and R2 values of 0.003 to 0.37. Significant proportional bias was detected in the predictions, but could be corrected with a small amount of ground truth data. Crop yield prediction accuracies without calibration were suitable for some precision applications such as mapping relative yields and delineating management zones, but model improvements or calibration datasets are needed for applications requiring absolute yield estimates.

Limited research has examined the rapid growth of farm to school (FTS) programs in the US. Qualitative interviews (n = 24) framed by Diffusion of Innovations theory were used to explore FTS program...

Plants often experience multiple sources of stress simultaneously, yet little is known about interactive effects of multiple stressors on plant metabolic responses. Plants are well known to respond to both drought and insect herbivory through the induced production of secondary metabolites. However, severe drought stress limits photosynthesis and may therefore inhibit the production of induced secondary metabolites in response to herbivory due to carbon limitation. On the other hand, drought-stressed plants may be primed to respond more strongly to herbivory due to hormonal crosstalk or redundancy of metabolites that are produced in response to drought and herbivory. We tested the interactive effects of drought and simulated herbivory in tea plants (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze var. sinensis) grown in the field under varying rainfall interception treatments and then exposed to an exogenous methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatment. We show that severe drought generally inhibits the induction of secondary metabolites by exogenous MeJA (simulated herbivory). However, a few volatile metabolites, including methyl salicylate, are more strongly induced by MeJA in severely drought-stressed plants compared to moderately stressed plants, possibly due to priming by drought stress. Our approach of using multiple levels of drought stress and a targeted/untargeted approach to measuring volatile metabolites was essential to discovering these patterns of induction. In addition to having implications for plant-herbivore interactions in the presence of abiotic stress, these results have important implications for tea quality.

Cropping systems and management practices that improve soil health may greatly enhance crop productivity. Four different potato cropping systems designed to address specific management goals of soil conservation (SC), soil improvement (SI), disease suppression (DS), and a status quo (SQ) standard rotation, along with a non-rotation (PP) control, were evaluated for their effects on potato crop growth, nutrient, and yield characteristics under both irrigated and non-irrigated (rainfed) conditions in field trials in Maine, USA, from 2004 to 2010. Both cropping system and irrigation significantly (p < 0.05) affected most potato crop parameters associated with growth and yield. All rotations increased tuber yield relative to the non-rotation PP control, and the SI system, which included yearly compost amendments, resulted in overall higher yields and a higher percentage of large-size tubers than all other systems with no irrigation (increases of 14 to 90%). DS, which contained disease-suppressive green manures and cover crops, produced the highest yields overall under irrigation (increases of 11 to 35%). Irrigation increased tuber yields in all cropping systems except SI (average increase of 27–37%). SI also resulted in significant increases in leaf area duration and chlorophyll content (as indicators of photosynthetic potential) and root and shoot biomass relative to other cropping systems, particularly under non-irrigated conditions. SI also resulted in higher shoot and tuber tissue concentrations of N, P, and K, but not most micronutrients. Overall, cropping systems that incorporate management practices such as increased rotation length and the use of cover crops, green manures, reduced tillage, and particularly, organic amendments, can substantially improve potato crop growth and yield. Irrigation also substantially increased growth and yield under normal field conditions in Maine, but SI, with its large organic amendments, was essentially a substitute for irrigation, producing comparable results without irrigation.

Food systems lie squarely at the intersection of several overarching goals of the UN and member states, as embodied in the Sustainable Development Goals, including eliminating poverty, hunger, and malnutrition in all its forms, achieving good health and well-being, while promoting environmental sustainability. The need for radical transformation of current food systems is inescapable if the world is to achieve one, let alone all, of these goals. Meeting this challenge will inevitably be disruptive to current food systems, carry costs, and be politically onerous. But the projected benefits far outweigh these difficulties. This commentary spells out the complexity of issues that need to be tackled to design and implement food systems that improve diets, nutrition, and health in an equitable fashion, while simultaneously respecting planetary boundaries. Six critical domains are identified that must be addressed for the successful transformation of food systems: 1) reinvent agriculture, 2) transform food environments for healthy diets, 3) mitigate climate change, 4) productively engage the private sector, 5) influence public policy priorities, and 6) establish true cost accounting of food. Because science is crucial for each of these domains, a research-driven strategy, emphasizing a collaborative process, is outlined. Bold, new, but technically and politically feasible actions are needed to effectively transform current food systems.

OBJECTIVES: It has been previously suggested that bread made from germinated grains have superior nutrient profiles, sensory attributes, and/or functional characteristics. This study assessed the impact of germination duration on two organic wheat varieties (Expresso and Basalt; Triticum aestivum L.). The outcomes of interest were wheat nutrient content, dough functional characteristics, and bread sensory attributes. We hypothesized that free sugar and resistant starch content would increase with germination duration and phytic acid, total starch, and solubilized starch would decrease. We hypothesized that functional characteristics of dough would worsen with greater germination duration and sensory perceptions of bread would follow a similar trend. METHODS: Each wheat variety was tested at four different germination durations (6, 12, 24, and 36 h) and compared to a control ungerminated wheat (0 h). Free sugar, starch, and phytic acid content were determined enzymatically. Dough functionality was assessed using the falling number and farinograph results. A semi-trained panel of judges assessed the sensory characteristics of the resulting whole-wheat bread. RESULTS: The free sugar content of wheat flour increased with germination duration (P

Pastures and rangelands are a dominant portion of global agricultural land and have the potential to sequester carbon (C) in soils, mitigating climate change. Management intensive grazing (MIG), or high density grazing with rotations through paddocks with long rest periods, has been highlighted as a method of enhancing soil C in pastures by increasing forage production. However, few studies have examined the soil C storage potential of pastures under MIG in the northeastern United States, where the dairy industry comprises a large portion of agricultural use and the regional agricultural economy. Here we present a 12-year study conducted in this region using a combination of field data and the denitrification and decomposition (DNDCv9.5) model to analyze changes in soil C and nitrogen (N) over time, and the climate impacts as they relate to soil carbon dioxide (CO

Agricultural production on farms and ranches in the U.S. contributes to the food supply and the food system on local, regional, national, and global scales. Increasing production at the regional scale—the focus of this research—depends on accurately estimating current production and understanding the mechanisms and resource requirements of production shifts. The Produc­tion Team of the EFSNE Project undertook seven studies that focused on current and poten­tial production in the U.S. Northeast region, which includes nearly one-quarter of the popula­tion but only about 3% of national cropland. Here we summarize the results from these studies that: (1) estimate the regional self-reliance of primary crop, livestock products, and livestock feeds; (2) develop and implement a method to delineate urban, peri-urban, and rural zones around cities and analyze the distribution of food chain businesses across these zones; (3) assess crop yield trajectories to refine potential production increases associated with agricultural expansion into different land categories; and (4) model climate change and dietary impacts on yields and land use. The regional self-reliance of food crops varies widely, and the predominant agricultural use of land is for the production of animal feeds. The peri-urban zones contain significant agricultural production and concentrations of supply chain businesses. The potential to expand regional output via yield increases varies by crop and by land category and is strongly influenced by climate change. The diverse disciplines represented on the Production Team, along with significant leader­ship from graduate students and post-doctoral researchers, contributed to the broad array of studies completed.

Soil health is essential for agricultural sustainability and environmental quality yet may be degraded by intensive cropping practices. Improved cropping systems and management practices may greatly enhance soil properties associated with soil heath. Four different potato cropping systems, designed to address specific management goals of soil conservation (SC), soil improvement (SI), disease suppression (DS), and a status quo standard rotation (SQ), along with a non-rotation (PP) control, were evaluated for their effects on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in field trials in Maine, USA. The purpose of the study was to determine how and to what extent these different cropping system approaches and practices would affect soil properties. Cropping systems were established in 2004 and actively managed through 2010, with potato crops also planted in subsequent years (2011−12) to examine residual effects. Cropping system significantly affected many parameters associated with soil health, with effects generally increasing over time as well as having lasting residual effects. All rotations increased aggregate stability, water availability, microbial biomass C, and total C and N compared to no rotation (PP), and 3-yr systems (SI, SC, DS) increased aggregate stability relative to the 2-yr system (SQ). The 3-yr systems with reduced tillage (SI and SC) also increased water availability and reduced bulk density relative to the other systems. However, the SI system, which included yearly compost amendments, resulted in greater increases in total and particulate organic matter (POM) C and N, active C, microbial biomass C, water availability, CEC, concentrations of P, K, Ca, Mg, and S, and lower bulk density than all other rotations. Cropping systems that incorporate management practices such as increased rotation length and the use of cover crops, green manures, reduced tillage, and, particularly, organic amendments, can improve soil physical, chemical, and biological properties associated with soil health.

ObjectiveTo examine the comparability of fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake data in the USA from 2001 to 2014 between data acquired from two national data collection programmes.DesignCross-sectional analysis. Linear regression models estimated trends in daily per capita intake of total F&V. Pooled differences in intake of individual F&V (n 109) were examined by processing form (fresh, frozen, canned, dried and juice).SettingWhat We Eat in America (WWEIA, 2001–2014) and Loss-Adjusted Food Availability data series (LAFA, 2001–2014).ResultsNo temporal trends were observed in daily per capita intake of total F&V from 2001 to 2014 using WWEIA and LAFA. Modest differences between WWEIA and LAFA were observed in mean pooled intake of most individual F&V.ConclusionsWWEIA and LAFA produced similar estimates of F&V intake. However, WWEIA may be best suited for monitoring intake at the national level because it allows for the identification of individual F&V in foods with multiple ingredients, and it is structured for sub-population analysis and covariate control. LAFA does retain advantages for other research protocols, specifically by providing the only nationally representative estimates of food losses at various points in the food system, which makes it useful for examining the adequacy of the food supply at the agricultural, retail and consumer levels.

One widely recognized strategy to meet future food needs is reducing the amount of arable land used to produce livestock feed. Of all livestock products, beef is the largest land user per unit output. Whether beef production results in feed-food competition or a net positive contribution to the food supply, however, may depend largely on whether marginal land is used to grow forage. The land use ratio (LUR) was developed by van Zanten et al. (2016a) to identify livestock systems that produce more animal source food than would be produced by converting their associated feed land to food crop production – a perspective that is not addressed within life cycle assessment (LCA). van Zanten et al. (2016a) used country-specific and farm-level land suitability data, the latter of which is not available in many countries. To assess the LUR of beef systems in the USA, which may use large grassland areas of potentially varying quality across scales, an intermediate approach between farm and country-scale estimation is needed. In this paper, we enhanced the LUR by integrating geospatial data for crop suitability and yield estimation at multiple scales. By doing so, the LUR will also become more widely applicable for other studies. We applied our enhanced LUR for a grass-fed beef (GF) system and a dairy beef (DB) system in the Northeastern USA, including multiple scenarios limiting land conversion. All systems had LURs greater than one, indicating they produce less protein than conversion of their suitable feed land base to food cropping would. Because a large fraction of the forage land used in the GF system was suitable for crop production and moderately productive, its LUR was 3–6 times larger (less efficient land use from a food supply perspective) than the DB system. Future research should explore mechanisms to reduce the LUR and life cycle environmental burdens of both regional production systems.

Opportunities for alternative swine production and marketing are emerging across the value chain. Given the developing nature of the differentiated pork industry, measurements of niche performance and success are not yet fully known. For this reason, the objectives of this study were to determine performance metrics across all major life phases for niche pork production and compare such metrics with national averages of conventional commodity pork production. Additionally, this study aimed to quantify producers’ reasoning and barriers to successfully raising niche swine. Niche meat producers in the USA self-identified for this study (n = 176); their swine production had alternative characteristics that included small- to mid-sized farms, farrow-to-finish operations, heritage breeds, housing with bedding and outdoor or pasture access, no use of antibiotics (sub-therapeutic for growth promotion or no antibiotics ever), vegetarian feed, diverse agricultural enterprises and alternative marketing avenues. This study focused on the metric categories regarding reproduction, mortality, culling and growth characteristics. The niche system produced approximately 15% fewer weaned piglets per bred sow per year than the conventional system due to fewer breeding cycles, smaller litters and higher piglet mortality in alternative production. Similarly, niche production finished 12% fewer hogs per bred sow per year than conventional production. Regarding age benchmarks of finishing and breeding, the niche system averaged 18 additional days to finish hogs at a standardized market weight of 124 kg. Likewise, niche production gilts were first bred at 283 days, whereas conventional production breeds gilts at 225 days. All directly comparable metrics were found to be statistically significant with 95% confidence for the one-sample test of means. Regarding farmer attitudes toward niche pork, survey participants shared personal reasons for raising swine and barriers to successful niche production. Choosing niche over commodity swine, participants’ reasons were grouped into three intra-related categories: (1) farm and producer viability, (2) animal and environmental welfare, and (3) consumer preference and taste. Despite these benefits, participants were faced with numerous challenges, which were organized into four intra-related categories: (1) alternative production requirements, restrictions and knowledge; (2) access and affordability of credit and inputs; (3) alternative supply chain for processing, marketing and customers; and (4) non-niche production competition and governmental policies. In sum, the success of these niche pork operations equates to high welfare for the pigs, economic viability for the operation, personal enjoyment for the farmer, customer satisfaction with meat flavor and quality, and responsible environmental practices, inclusive of many components of an alternative food system.

Innovative strategies are needed to improve the sustainability of beef production and consumption systems. Increasing reliance on regional or local food systems may improve resilience, and consumer demand for such foods is high. In the Northeastern U.S., the dairy sector may provide beef at a low environmental cost relative to other systems due to multi-functionality (i.e., milk and meat outputs). Additionally, landscape and market factors indicate suitability and demand for regional grass-fed beef. We used ISO-compliant life cycle assessment (LCA) to quantify the environmental burdens of grass-fed beef with management-intensive grazing (GF) and confinement dairy beef (DB) production systems in the Northeastern U.S. The impact scope included global warming potential, eutrophication and acidification potential, fossil fuel and water depletion, and agricultural land use. The foundation of the production system models was a herd-level, life cycle livestock feed requirements model, which we adapted and applied for the first time within LCA. Per kg carcass weight beef produced, DB had lower global warming potential, eutrophication potential, acidification potential, and agricultural land use than GF with higher fossil fuel depletion and water depletion. Calculating eutrophication and acidification per hectare agricultural land resulted in lower impacts for GF compared to DB. Maintaining the breeding herd accounted for over half of GF (60%) and DB (52%) impacts on average across categories. Sensitivity analyses indicated potential pasture carbon sequestration and lower enteric methane emissions under management-intensive grazing may substantially reduce the carbon footprint of GF (though not lower than DB), which should be explored with further research. Future research should also examine holistic strategies to reduce regional GF and DB system footprints, such as substituting food waste for traditional feeds and accounting for ecosystem services provided by pasture-based farming systems within LCA.

Consumers are increasingly concerned about the environmental and social impacts of their purchases. Prior research has assessed willingness to pay (WTP) for environmental and ethical attributes on foods and beverages such as locally grown, fairly traded, and organically produced. However, few studies have examined WTP for agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation, especially in the U.S. and to date, no prior study has examined how knowledge or concerns about climate change motivate WTP for climate-friendly products. The objective of this study was to estimate WTP for agricultural GHG mitigation and examine variability in WTP across consumer characteristics, climate change knowledge and risk perception. A sensory-grounded choice experiment and survey assessing climate change knowledge and risk perception was administrated to specialty food and beverage shoppers in the Midwest and Northeastern U.S. Male and lower-income participants, as well as those at the Midwestern study site were willing to pay a higher premium for agricultural GHG mitigation, relative to females, higher income participants, and those in the Northeastern U.S. Knowledge of climate change and level of concerns for the risks it poses were not significantly associated with increased WTP for agricultural GHG mitigation. This suggests that if consumer demand is going to play a role in driving agricultural GHG mitigation, motivations for such purchasing behavior must be more fully understood.

Climate change is impacting food and beverage crops around the world with implications for environmental and human well-being. While numerous studies have examined climate change effects on crop yields, relatively few studies have examined effects on crop quality (concentrations of nutrients, minerals, and secondary metabolites). This review article employs a culturally relevant beverage crop, tea (Camelia sinensis), as a lens to examine environmental effects linked to climate change on the directionality of crop quality. Our systematic review identified 86 articles as relevant to the review question. Findings provide evidence that shifts in seasonality, water stress, geography, light factors, altitude, herbivory and microbes, temperature, and soil factors that are linked to climate change can result in both increases and decreases up to 50% in secondary metabolites. A gap was found regarding evidence on the direct effects of carbon dioxide on tea quality, highlighting a critical research area for future study. While this systematic review provides evidence that multiple environmental parameters are impacting tea quality, the directionality and magnitude of these impacts is not clear with contradictory evidence between studies likely due to confounding factors including variation in tea variety, cultivar, specific environmental and agricultural management conditions, and differences in research methods. The environmental factors with the most consistent evidence in this systematic review were seasonality and water stress with 14 out of 18 studies (78%) demonstrating a decrease in concentrations of phenolic compounds or their bioactivity with a seasonal shift from the spring and /or first tea harvest to other seasons and seven out of 10 studies (70%) showing an increase in levels of phenolic compounds or their bioactivity with drought stress. Herbivory and soil fertility were two of the variables that showed the greatest contradictory evidence on tea quality. Both herbivory and soil fertility are variables which farmers have the greatest control over, pointing to the importance of agricultural management for climate mitigation and adaptation. The development of evidence-based management strategies and crop breeding programs for resilient cultivars are called for to mitigate climate impacts on crop quality and overall risk in agricultural and food systems.

OBJECTIVES: Constructing nutritionally replete as well as environmentally benign dietary patterns is at the core of diet sustainability efforts, yet these must also consider factors of personal preference and accessibility to be widely acceptable. This study aimed to model how observed food selection may be modified to optimize nutritional quality while mitigating environmental harm, using comparable food substitutions. METHODS: Day 1 dietary intake reported by adult participants in the 2007–2008 NHANES was scored using the Dietary Environmental Index (DEX), a tool to assess life cycle environmental impacts standardized by diet quality, calculated as the ratio of a Nutrient Density Score (NDS) to Environmental Impact Score (EIS) for 7500 food products consumed in the United States. Low-scoring food products, based on their higher environmental impact and lower nutrient density, were directly substituted by a high-DEX alternative food from within the same What We Eat In America food category. Resultant changes to overall food group and nutrient levels were assessed. RESULTS: Food group composition of the DEX-modeled daily food intake patterns shifted towards lower quantities of red meat, and higher quantities of poultry, legumes, whole grains, and vegetables. Levels of beneficial nutrients to encourage, such as fiber and select vitamins and minerals, increased by 15–81% in the DEX-models, while protein levels stayed about the same. Nutrients to limit, including saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar, decreased by 12–16%. Individual direct environmental impacts related to climate change, land use, water depletion, and marine eutrophication improved by 11–17% in the DEX-models. CONCLUSIONS: Findings demonstrate the potential nutritional as well as environmental benefits of relatively simple food substitutions within an existing diet pattern, in a manner aimed to be palatable to the individual. FUNDING SOURCES: The National Institute of Food and Agriculture, US Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service.

White mold or Sclerotinia stem rot (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib) de-Bary) was first observed on soybean varieties in a variety trial at the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station, Presque Isle, and in commercial soybean fields in late July and August 1997. Symptoms and signs included stem bleaching, fluffy white mycelial growth on soybean stems and foliage, and presence of sclerotia typical of white mold. Disease assessment, based on symptoms, was conducted on the varieties in the trial in the experiment station. Field observations on disease occurrence were also conducted in commercial soybean fields in northern Maine. In the variety trial experiment, mean incidence (%) of white mold ranged from 0 to 6.8% on Lambert, APK007, P9092, P9132, and Stine varieties. No white mold was detected on P9071, P9007, Korada, Bravor, Ugo, APK020, and Aquillon varieties. Of the infected varieties, incidence of white mold was detected in 10 of 33 fields examined. This is the first report of the occurrence of white mold on soybean in Maine. Because of large-scale commercial potato production in the region, and previous occurrence of white mold on potato, it is likely that the pathogen is present in soils of various commercial potato fields in Maine. Precautions should, therefore, be taken in introducing resistant varieties and ensuring proper rotation and cropping sequences as soybean production increases in Maine.

To support food security for current and future generations, there is a need to understand the relation between sustainable diets and the health of a population. In recent years, a number of studies have investigated and compared different dietary patterns to better understand which foods and eating patterns have less of an environmental impact while meeting nutritional needs and promoting health. This systematic review (SR) of population-level dietary patterns and food sustainability extends and updates the SR that was conducted by the 2015 US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, an expert committee commissioned by the federal government to inform dietary guidance as it relates to the committee's original conclusions. In the original SR, 15 studies met the criteria for inclusion; since then, an additional 8 studies have been identified and included. The relations between dietary intake patterns and both health and environmental outcomes were compared across studies, with methodologies that included modeling, life cycle assessment, and land use analysis. Across studies, consistent evidence indicated that a dietary pattern higher in plant-based foods (e.g., vegetables, fruits, legumes, seeds, nuts, whole grains) and lower in animal-based foods (especially red meat), as well as lower in total energy, is both healthier and associated with a lesser impact on the environment. This dietary pattern differs from current average consumption patterns in the United States. Our updated SR confirms and strengthens the conclusions of the original US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee SR, which found that adherence to several well-characterized dietary patterns, including vegetarian (with variations) diets, dietary guidelines-related diets, Mediterranean-style diets, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, and other sustainable diet scenarios, promotes greater health and has a less negative impact on the environment than current average dietary intakes.

Soilborne potato diseases and soil microbial community characteristics were evaluated over 8 years in different potato cropping systems designed to address specific management goals of soil conservation, soil improvement and disease suppression. Results were compared to a standard rotation and non‐rotation control in field trials in Maine. Standard rotation consisted of barley underseeded with red clover, followed by potato (2‐year). Soil‐conserving system (SC) featured an additional year of forage grass and reduced tillage (3‐year, barley/timothy–timothy–potato). Soil‐improving system (SI) added yearly compost amendments to SC, and the disease‐suppressive system (DS) featured crops with known disease‐suppressive capability (3‐year, mustard/rapeseed–sudangrass/rye–potato). Systems were established in 2004, evaluated with and without irrigation, and actively managed until 2010, with potato also planted in 2011 and 2012 to examine residual effects. All rotations reduced soilborne diseases black scurf and common scab, and increased yield after one rotation cycle (3 years), but diseases increased overall after two rotation cycles. DS maintained lower soilborne disease levels than all other rotations, as well as high yields, throughout the study. Cropping system effects became more pronounced after multiple cycles. SI system and irrigation both resulted in higher yields, but also higher levels of soilborne disease. Cropping system and irrigation effects were significant even after systems were no longer maintained. Soil microbial community data showed significant changes associated with cropping system, and differences increased over time. Cropping system strategy had significant and lasting effects on soil microbiology and soilborne diseases, and can be used to effectively enhance potato production.

The production of livestock feed in the USA is geographically concentrated, which poses several risks. Extreme weather events and disease outbreaks have the potential to disrupt production in these areas, which could reduce the national output of meat, dairy and eggs. Additionally, geographically concentrated livestock and feed production systems have been observed to contribute excessive nutrient loads to surrounding soil and water bodies, thereby threatening environmental sustainability. Geographic relocation of production systems has been proposed as an adaptation strategy to increase system resilience and this could take the shape of more geographically dispersed livestock feed production. We estimate the degree to which the demand for meat, dairy and eggs in the Northeast region is met with current levels of regional feed and livestock production, a term that we refer to as regional self-reliance. We combine mean annual (2001–2010) data on Northeast regional land use; crop output; meat, dairy and egg output; and food consumption with a livestock feed requirements model. An annual mean of over 6.1 million ha of land in the Northeast was dedicated to livestock feed from 2001 to 2010, with nearly 80% located in just three states (Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia). The region is a net importer of livestock feed (in terms of total digestible nutrients and crude protein), as well as meat, dairy and eggs (in terms of total human-edible energy and protein). This is the result of a confluence of long-term regional trends that include the movement of agricultural production out of the region with a concomitant increase in the regional population and an increase in the national demand for meat, dairy and eggs. Limited slaughter output in the region is a key limiting factor to increasing the region's self-reliance for livestock products.

Summary Background Evidence-based nutrition policy is a key mechanism to promote planetary health. In the USA, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are the foundation of nutrition policy and guide more than US$80 billion in federal spending. Recent attempts have been made to incorporate sustainability into the development of the Dietary Guidelines. However, the sustainability of the 2015–20 Dietary Guidelines remains unclear; research has not yet assessed the environmental impacts of the distinct healthy patterns recommended by the policy. Methods In this modelling study done at the University of New Hampshire (Durham, NH, USA), we analysed the healthy US-style (US), healthy Mediterranean-style (MED), and healthy vegetarian (VEG) patterns recommended in the 2015–20 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Food groups and subgroups consisted of 321 commonly consumed foods, with group composition predetermined by the US Department of Agriculture. We compiled and used multiple datasets to assign environmental burdens to foods, focusing on six impact categories of policy importance: global warming potential, land use, water depletion, freshwater and marine eutrophication, and particulate matter or respiratory organics. We did life cycle impact assessments for each of the three diet patterns and compared the six impact categories between the patterns. We also analysed the proportion contribution of the food groups to each impact category in each of the diet patterns. Findings The US and MED patterns had similar impacts, except for freshwater eutrophication. Freshwater eutrophication was 31% lower in the US pattern than the MED pattern, primarily due to increased seafood in the MED pattern. All three patterns had similar water depletion impacts, with fruits and vegetables as major contributors. For five of the six impacts, the VEG pattern had 42–84% lower burdens than both the US and MED patterns. Reliance on plant-based protein and eggs in the VEG pattern versus emphasis on animal-based protein in the other patterns was a key driver of differences, as was a lower overall protein foods recommendation in the VEG pattern. Interpretation The recommended patterns in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans might have starkly different impacts on the environment and other dimensions of human health beyond nutrition. Given the scale of influence of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans on food systems, incorporating sustainability into their development has the potential to have great benefit in terms of long-term food security. Funding None.

Plant-climate interactions affect the edible crop composition, impacting flavor, nutrition, and overall consumer liking. In this study, principal components analysis was used to assess the macro- and micronutrient metal concentrations in pre-monsoon (spring), monsoon (summer), and post-monsoon (autumn) tea (Camelia sinensis (L.) Kuntze) from Yunnan Province, China in 2014–2016. Statistical differences were observed (p = 1.35E-24). Fe, Ca, Mg, Mn, Al, and Ba concentrations were higher in June (monsoon) than in March (pre-monsoon) and September (post-monsoon) compared to Pb, K, Cu, Zn, and Na, which were higher in March and September. Although Fe, Ca, Mg, Mn, Al, and Ba concentrations increased during the monsoon season, sensory analysis did not detect metallic taste in either minimally processed or farmer-processed (commercial) teas. This finding shows the seasonal differences in flavor were due to striking differences in organic chemical composition and concentration.

Climate effects on crop quality at the molecular level are not well-understood. Gas and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry were used to measure changes of hundreds of compounds in tea at different elevations in Yunnan Province, China. Some increased in concentration while others decreased by 100’s of percent. Orthogonal projection to latent structures-discriminant analysis revealed compounds exhibiting analgesic, antianxiety, antibacterial, anticancer, antidepressant, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-stress, and cardioprotective properties statistically (p = 0.003) differentiated high from low elevation tea. Also, sweet, floral, honey-like notes were higher in concentration in the former while the latter displayed grassy, hay-like aroma. In addition, multivariate analysis of variance showed low elevation tea had statistically (p = 0.0062) higher concentrations of caffeine, epicatechin gallate, gallocatechin, and catechin; all bitter compounds. Although volatiles represent a small fraction of the total mass, this is the first comprehensive report illustrating how normal variations in temperature, 5 °C, due to elevational effects impact tea quality.

The market basket chosen for the Enhancing Food Security in the Northeast (EFSNE) project was one of its major tools, as its contents served as the subject of a variety of analyses across the research teams. The interdisciplinary systems project studied multiple components of food systems in the Northeast region. One of the team members’ first collaborative exercises was the choice of the eight items representing the major food groups, includ­ing different processed forms of food and healthier versions of several. This article summarizes the information gathered on the market basket items, including (1) some salient data describing the state of each food item’s industry; (2) the current regional-self-reliance production level; (3) consu­mer purchases of these items in the Northeast utilizing secondary data sources and data gathered in project intercept surveys; (4) store inventories, including prices and where the food is produced or manufactured; (5) the percentage of the market basket food that is produced regionally, as well as the regional economic value-added percentage; (6) models of six of the foods predicting the effect on production and supply chains of changes in the system, such as increased demand and environ­mental changes; and (7) foodprints for each food. Market baskets are frequently used instruments in food environment and cost studies. Using market baskets in EFSNE allowed the teams to aggregate and interconnect data from multiple analyses done by researchers from multiple disciplines to tell a rich story about a specific set of foods, their supply chains, and the future opportunities to enhance their production and distribution in the region.

The capacity of US agriculture to increase the output of specific foods to accommodate increased demand is not well documented. This research uses geospatial modeling to examine the capacity of the US agricultural landbase to increase the per capita availability of an example set of nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables. These fruits and vegetables were selected based on nutrient content and an increasing trend of domestic production and consumption. Geographic information system models were parameterized to identify agricultural land areas meeting crop-specific growing requirements for monthly precipitation and temperature; soil depth and type; cropland availability; and proximity to existing production centers. The results of these analyses demonstrate that crop production can be expanded by nearly 144,000 ha within existing national production centers, generating an additional 0.05 cup-equivalents of fruits and vegetables per capita per day, representing a 1.7% increase above current total F&V availability. Expanding the size of national crop production centers can further increase the availability of all F&V by 2.5%–5.4%, which is still less than the recommended amount. Challenges to increasing F&V production in the US include lack of labor availability, barriers to adoption among producers, and threats to crop yields from environmental concerns.

Objectives. To measure fluid milk waste in a US School Breakfast in the Classroom Program and estimate its nutritional, economic, and environmental effects. Methods. Fluid milk waste was directly measured on 60 elementary school classroom days in a medium-sized, urban district. The US Department of Agriculture nutrition database, district cost data, and carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions and water footprint estimates for fluid milk were used to calculate the associated nutritional, economic, and environmental costs. Results. Of the total milk offered to School Breakfast Program participants, 45% was wasted. A considerably smaller portion of served milk was wasted (26%). The amount of milk wasted translated into 27% of vitamin D and 41% of calcium required of School Breakfast Program meals. The economic and environmental costs amounted to an estimated $274 782 (16% of the district’s total annual School Breakfast Program food expenditures), 644 893 kilograms of CO2e, and 192 260 155 liters of water over the school year in the district. Conclusions. These substantial effects of milk waste undermine the School Breakfast Program’s capacity to ensure short- and long-term food security and federal food waste reduction targets. Interventions that reduce waste are urgently needed.