Use of the DELTA Model to Understand the Food System and Global Nutrition

Smith NW; Fletcher AJ; Dave LA; Hill JP; McNabb WC

Use of the DELTA Model to Understand the Food System and Global Nutrition

dc.citation.issue	10
dc.citation.volume	151
dc.contributor.author	Smith NW
dc.contributor.author	Fletcher AJ
dc.contributor.author	Dave LA
dc.contributor.author	Hill JP
dc.contributor.author	McNabb WC
dc.coverage.spatial	United States
dc.date.accessioned	2024-10-10T20:52:40Z
dc.date.available	2024-10-10T20:52:40Z
dc.date.issued	2021-10
dc.description.abstract	BACKGROUND: Increasing attention is being directed at the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of the global food system. However, a key aspect of a sustainable food system should be its ability to deliver nutrition to the global population. Quantifying nutrient adequacy with current tools is challenging. OBJECTIVE: To produce a computational model illustrating the nutrient adequacy of current and proposed global food systems. METHODS: The DELTA Model was constructed using global food commodity balance sheet data, alongside demographic and nutrient requirement data from UN and European Food Safety Authority sources. It also includes nutrient bioavailability considerations for protein, the indispensable amino acids, iron, and zinc, sourced from scientific literature. RESULTS: The DELTA Model calculates global per capita nutrient availability under conditions of equal distribution and identifies areas of nutrient deficiency for various food system scenarios. Modeling the 2018 global food system showed that it supplied insufficient calcium (64% of demographically weighted target intake) and vitamin E (69%), despite supplying sufficient macronutrients. Several future scenarios were modeled, including variations in waste; scaling up current food production for the 2030 global population; plant-based food production systems; and removing sugar crops from the global food system. Each of these scenarios fell short of meeting requirements for multiple nutrients. These results emphasize the need for a balanced approach in the design of future food systems. CONCLUSIONS: Nutrient adequacy must be at the forefront of the sustainable food system debate. The DELTA Model was designed for both experts and nonexperts to inform this debate as to what may be possible, practical, and optimal for our food system. The model results strongly suggest that both plant and animal foods are necessary to achieve global nutrition. The model is freely available for public use so that anyone can explore current and simulated global food systems.
dc.description.confidential	false
dc.edition.edition	October 2021
dc.format.pagination	3253-3261
dc.identifier.author-url	https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34195827
dc.identifier.citation	Smith NW, Fletcher AJ, Dave LA, Hill JP, McNabb WC. (2021). Use of the DELTA Model to Understand the Food System and Global Nutrition.. J Nutr. 151. 10. (pp. 3253-3261).
dc.identifier.doi	10.1093/jn/nxab199
dc.identifier.eissn	1541-6100
dc.identifier.elements-type	journal-article
dc.identifier.issn	0022-3166
dc.identifier.pii	S0022-3166(22)00393-5
dc.identifier.uri	https://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/71682
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society for Nutrition
dc.publisher.uri	https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022316622003935
dc.relation.isPartOf	J Nutr
dc.rights	(c) 2021 The Author/s
dc.rights	CC BY 4.0
dc.rights.uri	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subject	mass balance
dc.subject	mathematical modeling
dc.subject	micronutrients
dc.subject	nutrient adequacy
dc.subject	sustainability
dc.subject	systems modeling
dc.subject	Animals
dc.subject	Diet
dc.subject	Eating
dc.subject	Micronutrients
dc.subject	Nutrients
dc.subject	Nutritional Requirements
dc.subject	Nutritional Status
dc.subject	Nutritive Value
dc.title	Use of the DELTA Model to Understand the Food System and Global Nutrition
dc.type	Journal article
pubs.elements-id	447154
pubs.organisational-group	Other