Food, Health and Environmental Sustainability: Sustainable Food Systems and Its Impact on Mental Health and Our Environment

Abstract

One of the components of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG ) is : “ Good Health and 
Well Being” , which is goal number 3. Since we inhabit a world filled with environmental 
disaster and hazards, that pose a threat to our existence as humans and all other living organisms 
around us; we need to take quick action to save the planet together with the community of lives 
that live on it. Sustainable development in its real terms entails meeting the needs of the present 
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Food, health 
and environmental sustainability therefore explores food being grown or produced with 
consideration of its health, environmental and social impact. This study focuses on the 
importance of sustainable food systems, how it relates with mental health of individuals and 
our environment and what needs to be done at the local, global and national scale in order for 
us to maintain sustainable food systems, good mental health and a sustainable environment. It 
further uses the Sustainable Food System model ( SFS ) to explain how a food system is 
considered sustainable with respect to the economic, social and environmental dimensions.