The Power of Food Choices for the Future of Humanity

What does the food on our plates have to do with the future of people and planet?

The way we produce and consume food has profound consequences for human health, ecosystems and the resilience of our food systems. From climate change and biodiversity loss to land degradation, waterways and resource use, our food choices are connected to some of the biggest ecological challenges facing humanity.

Join Dr Peter Johnston on World Food Day for a deep dive into the connections between what we eat, how our food is produced and the health of people and the planet.

Peter will explore the environmental impacts of animal agriculture and fishing, the vulnerabilities created by resource-intensive and petrochemical-dependent food systems, and what these challenges could mean for future food security.

But food is also an area where individuals and communities can take meaningful action every day. We’ll explore practical ways to reduce our ecological impact, including shifting towards plant-based diets, reducing food waste, composting, growing food and relocalising our food systems.

This session invites us to think about food not simply as a matter of personal consumption, but as part of a much larger interconnected system — and to consider how changing what and how we eat can contribute to healthier people, stronger communities and a more sustainable future.

This session is part of Healthy Humane Habitats Month: Reimagining how we live, together.

Dr Peter Johnston is an Accredited Practising Dietitian with a Master of Nutrition and Dietetics and a PhD in Human Genetics. He is also a Fellow of the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine and has followed an exclusively plant-based diet since 1991, after learning about its health, environmental and ethical implications.

Peter runs Perfect Human Food Consulting, providing individual consultations, public speaking, webinars and workplace health programs. He is a founding member of the advisory council for health charity Doctors For Nutrition and a partner with Melbourne Lifestyle Medicine, which delivers a range of programs including lifestyle medicine retreats.

Peter specialises in the prevention, treatment and reversal of chronic disease through whole-food plant-based diets and a holistic lifestyle medicine approach. He has presented at numerous national and international conferences and has a particular interest in the relationship between food, human health and the environment.