Canada and other regions have prioritized sustainable food systems. However, protein continues to underpin many of the underlying challenges and opportunities that bridge strategies for meeting the demands of a growing population, addressing non-communicable disease, and the environmental impacts of food production, and nutritional implications of rising food prices and food security. These themes have spawned an influx of innovation over the last decade to create food platforms that are built upon the provision of plant protein as a core value proposition for seamless integration into the diets of consumers. As seen most recently by the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland, new dietary guidelines are taking systems approaches to protein recommendations, with individual and societal considerations underpinning emphasis on promoting the enhanced use of plants as protein sources for consumers. From a regulatory and policy perspective, plant protein foods are disadvantaged in their ability to communicate their contribution to the protein intakes of diets. At the same time, strategies to integrate food literacy and perceived value around plant protein to meet dietary requirements may require fundamental changes in how we position protein and protein foods to the consumers through policy modernization. The contentiousness of protein in food environments that often take an “or” rather than an “and” approach to plant and animal protein can detract from mutual goals across sectors to facilitate a healthy and sustainable food system. This session will explore the challenges with enhancing the use of plant protein within current food environments in the context of dietary guidance,
Dr. Harding is an Associate Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at Memorial University. His research interests include glucose metabolism, cholesterol biochemistry, and the effects of public health policies on reducing obesity and chronic disease, particularly in Newfoundland and Labrador. His research lab focuses on cardiometabolic diseases, using animal and in vitro models, human trials, and population studies. His team studies public health initiatives like sugar taxes and the metabolic impacts of dietary sugars and fats under varying intake levels. They also investigate how diet and lifestyle factors, such as short or disrupted sleep, activity, and dietary patterns, affect disease risk and nutrient metabolism. Dr. Harding earned his PhD in Human Nutrition from McGill University and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Manitoba and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. He has previously held an academic position at King’s College London before joining Memorial University. He teaches in the Human Biosciences program in the Faculty of Science and his research aims to understand how diet and lifestyle choices can either promote health or contribute to disease.