Reform of the global food system needs to be initiated and coordinated on a global level to meet the challenges of sustainably producing sufficient food within planetary boundaries. The EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet sought to establish a set of “planetary” eating norms that would constitute “healthy and sustainable” diets “for all.” In this article we present the findings from a co-production workshop held in Dakar that examined dilemmas of defining “healthy and sustainable” diets and “planetary” eating norms from a Senegalese perspective. We describe the concrete strategies for negotiating dietary change that emerged from the workshop, including interdisciplinarity, reciprocity, reparation and substitution, and collective reflection on eating histories. By working within the fraught project of planetary dietary design in a manner that resists an imperial logic that we designate as “dietary diffusionism,” we argue that theories of “planetarity” can be used to leverage deliberative approaches to the design of more just, inclusive, and effective food policy.
Coproducing “Planetary” Eating Futures from Dakar: Dietary Diffusionism and the (Geo)politics of Nutrition Transition
Branwyn Poleykett is an assistant professor in the Anthropology Department of the University of Amsterdam. Her work is situated within medical anthropology and concerned broadly with the politics and practice of public health. Her most recent research focuses on food and everyday eating in Dakar, Senegal, with a particular emphasis on the role of millets in urban food security.
Ndiaga Sall, an agricultural engineer, is a leader in food security, health, and environment. After research in Brazil, he joined ENDA Santé in Senegal to manage programs on food sovereignty and nutrition. He is also involved in environmental issues and biodiversity protection. His dedication improves lives and builds a sustainable future.
Fatou Ndow specializes in public health, with a focus on community involvement in health programs. Using research, Fatou designs, implements, and promotes programs focused on community engagement and coordination. Fatou holds degrees in nutrition and public health, and currently serves as a program manager at the Civil Society Institute for Health in West Central Africa.
Paul Young is an associate professor of Victorian literature and culture in the Department of English, University of Exeter. His research focuses on the cultural dimensions of imperialism and globalization in the Victorian period. He is currently working on a monograph project, entitled Carnivorous Empire: Adventure Fiction and the Global Growth of Britain’s Meat Markets, 1865–1915 (Johns Hopkins University Press).
Branwyn Poleykett, Ndiaga Sall, Fatou Ndow, Paul Young; Coproducing “Planetary” Eating Futures from Dakar: Dietary Diffusionism and the (Geo)politics of Nutrition Transition. Gastronomica 1 May 2024; 24 (2): 58–67. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/gfc.2024.24.2.58
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