Personalized nutrition and social justice : ethical considerations within four future scenarios applying the perspective of Nussbaum’s capabilities approach

Nordström, Karin; Gossens, Joe

doi:10.1007/s10806-015-9589-0

Publication type:	Article in scientific journal
Type of review:	Peer review (publication)
Title:	Personalized nutrition and social justice : ethical considerations within four future scenarios applying the perspective of Nussbaum’s capabilities approach
Authors:	Nordström, Karin Gossens, Joe
et. al:	No
DOI:	10.1007/s10806-015-9589-0
Published in:	Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics
Volume(Issue):	29
Issue:	1
Page(s):	5
Pages to:	22
Issue Date:	2015
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	Springer
ISSN:	1187-7863 1573-322X
Language:	English
Subjects:	Personalised nutrition; Ethics; Social justice
Subject (DDC):	613.2: Dietetics
Abstract:	The idea of personalized nutrition (PN) is to give tailored dietary advice based on personal health-related data, i.e. phenotoype, genotype, or lifestyle. PN may be seen as part of a general trend towards personalised health care and currently various types of business models are already offering such services in the market. This paper explores ethical issues of PN by examining how PN services within the contextual environment of four future scenarios about health and nutrition in Europe might affect aspects of social justice according to Martha Nussbaum’s capability approach. The scenarios have been created by a mixed group of stakeholders and experts in three consecutive workshops. This resulted in the definition of four future scenarios within a scenario space consisting of two variables: the ‘logic of health care systems’ and ‘conception of health’. Within each scenario, PN is likely to play a more or less important role in improving health by influencing food consumption patterns in society. Nussbaum’s capability approach implies a concept of social justice as a function of a minimum standard of human dignity. This denotes an account for equality in terms of a minimum of entitlements. However, also the ability of achieving individual objectives is essential for social justice. Personalisation advice in health and food consumption patterns, as aimed for by PN, is therefore acceptable provided a minimum of entitlements is guaranteed to all members of a society, and at the same time freedom concerning personal preferences is respected. Potential variation of how different people might benefit from PN should therefore be consistent with the minimum required as defined by the list of capabilities.
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/21838
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	Licence according to publishing contract
Departement:	School of Health Sciences
Organisational Unit:	Institute of Public Health (IPH)
Appears in collections:	Publikationen Gesundheit

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Nordström, K., & Gossens, J. (2015). Personalized nutrition and social justice : ethical considerations within four future scenarios applying the perspective of Nussbaum’s capabilities approach. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 29(1), 5–22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-015-9589-0

Nordström, K. and Gossens, J. (2015) ‘Personalized nutrition and social justice : ethical considerations within four future scenarios applying the perspective of Nussbaum’s capabilities approach’, Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 29(1), pp. 5–22. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-015-9589-0.

K. Nordström and J. Gossens, “Personalized nutrition and social justice : ethical considerations within four future scenarios applying the perspective of Nussbaum’s capabilities approach,” Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 5–22, 2015, doi: 10.1007/s10806-015-9589-0.

NORDSTRÖM, Karin und Joe GOSSENS, 2015. Personalized nutrition and social justice : ethical considerations within four future scenarios applying the perspective of Nussbaum’s capabilities approach. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics. 2015. Bd. 29, Nr. 1, S. 5–22. DOI 10.1007/s10806-015-9589-0

Nordström, Karin, and Joe Gossens. 2015. “Personalized Nutrition and Social Justice : Ethical Considerations within Four Future Scenarios Applying the Perspective of Nussbaum’s Capabilities Approach.” Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 29 (1): 5–22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-015-9589-0.

Nordström, Karin, and Joe Gossens. “Personalized Nutrition and Social Justice : Ethical Considerations within Four Future Scenarios Applying the Perspective of Nussbaum’s Capabilities Approach.” Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, vol. 29, no. 1, 2015, pp. 5–22, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-015-9589-0.