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Tucci M, Martini D, Vinelli V, Biscotti P, Porrini M, Del Bo’ C, Riso P. The MED_EAT-IT approach: A modelling study to develop feasible, sustainable and nutritionally targeted dietary patterns based on the Planetary health diet. Curr Res Food Sci 2024; 8:100765. [PMID: 38779344 PMCID: PMC11109324 DOI: 10.1016/j.crfs.2024.100765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission introduced the Planetary Health Diet (PHD), a guide for creating 2500 kcal/day country-specific sustainable diets that promote health while reducing the environmental impact associated with food systems. The PHD was previously adapted to the Italian food context, resulting in the EAT-IT dietary pattern. However, this adaptation revealed several challenges in terms of nutritional adequacy, feasibility, and environmental impact. This study reports on strategies to improve the previous pattern and align it more closely with the Mediterranean Diet, resulting in the MED_EAT-IT pattern. The study also explores feasible strategies for adapting this pattern to different energy targets, enhancing its scalability and promoting personalized approaches. For the optimization of this pattern, a specific calculation tool was developed to introduce variation to the pattern, considering realistic and feasible serving sizes and frequency of consumption. This tool integrates a defined food ontology, food composition data, and two environmental impact metrics (Carbon and Water Footprint). To optimize nutritional adequacy, several adaptations of the amount within the different food groups were made, for instance by increasing cereals and animal source by 25.5% kcal/day and 36.2% kcal/day respectively compared to EAT-IT. The resulting 2500 kcal/die pattern meets all nutritional requirements except for vitamin D and does not hamper the possibility to limit environmental impact (Carbon Footprint increased only by 12.2% but Water Footprint decreased by 6.3%). Lower energy targets were achieved by modulating amounts of the different food groups to ensure nutritional adequacy. The strategies and tools proposed here could aid in optimizing dietary plans, evaluating their potential for environmental impact reduction, and identifying issues that could hinder their adoption. Furthermore, the analyses carried out pave the way for the potential future development of new or improved foods that may contribute to the optimization of nutritional and environmental impact of diets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimiliano Tucci
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 2, 20133, Milano, Italy
| | - Daniela Martini
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 2, 20133, Milano, Italy
| | - Valentina Vinelli
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 2, 20133, Milano, Italy
| | - Paola Biscotti
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 2, 20133, Milano, Italy
| | - Marisa Porrini
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 2, 20133, Milano, Italy
| | - Cristian Del Bo’
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 2, 20133, Milano, Italy
| | - Patrizia Riso
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 2, 20133, Milano, Italy
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Lengle JM, Michaelsen Bjøntegaard M, Hauger Carlsen M, Jafarzadeh S, Frost Andersen L. Environmental impact of Norwegian self-selected diets: comparing current intake with national dietary guidelines and EAT-Lancet targets. Public Health Nutr 2024; 27:e100. [PMID: 38523532 PMCID: PMC11010176 DOI: 10.1017/s1368980024000715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Dietary environmental impact in a Norwegian adult population was estimated for six environmental impact categories. Moreover, environmental benefits of scenario diets complying with the Norwegian Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG) and the EAT-Lancet reference diet were assessed. DESIGN The current diet of Norwegian adults was estimated according to 24-h dietary recall data from a national dietary surveillance survey (Norkost 3). Scenario diets were modelled to represent the Norwegian FBDG and the EAT-Lancet healthy reference diet. Dietary environmental impact in terms of global warming potential, freshwater and marine eutrophication, terrestrial acidification, water use and transformation and use of land was estimated for the current and scenario diets using environmental impact data representative of the Norwegian market. Significant associations between impact and gender/educational attainment were assessed at P < 0·05. SETTING Norway. PARTICIPANTS Adults (n=1787) aged 18-70 years who participated in the Norkost 3 survey (2010-2011). RESULTS Environmental impact varied significantly by gender and educational attainment. The food groups contributing most to environmental impact of Norwegian diets were meat, dairy, beverages, grains and composite dishes. Compared with the current Norwegian diet, the FBDG scenario reduced impacts from 2 % (freshwater eutrophication) to 32 % (water use), while the EAT-Lancet scenario reduced impacts from 7 % (marine eutrophication) to 61 % (land use). The EAT-Lancet scenario resulted in 3-48 % larger reductions in impact than the FBDG scenario. CONCLUSIONS The Norwegian FBDG, while not as environmentally friendly as the EAT-Lancet reference diet, can still be an important tool in lessening environmental burden of Norwegian diets.
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Wright EC, van Oort B, Bjøntegaard MM, Carlsen MH, Andersen LF. Environmental and nutritional assessment of young children's diets in Norway: comparing the current diet with national dietary guidelines and the EAT-Lancet reference diet. Eur J Nutr 2023; 62:3383-3396. [PMID: 37653070 PMCID: PMC10611869 DOI: 10.1007/s00394-023-03243-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Introducing healthy and sustainable diets early in life can promote lifelong healthy dietary patterns with a low environmental impact. Therefore, we aimed to estimate the environmental and nutritional consequences of a dietary change for 2-year-old children in Norway towards healthier dietary patterns. METHODS Environmental impacts of the current habitual diet among 2-year-olds (n = 1413) were estimated for six impact categories and compared with scenario diets based on the Norwegian food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG) and the EAT-Lancet Commission reference diet. Last, we evaluated the nutritional adequacy of the diets against the Norwegian nutrition recommendations for children aged 2-5 years. The current diet was assessed by an FFQ. RESULTS Environmental impacts of the current habitual diet were up to two times higher than those of the scenario diets. Compared with the current diet, impacts from the FBDG scenario diet were reduced by 35% for water use and 18% for terrestrial acidification, whereas impacts from the EAT-Lancet scenario diet were reduced by 51% for water use, 57% for terrestrial acidification, 36% for global warming potential and 27% for freshwater eutrophication. Milk and dairy products were the main contributors to environmental impacts in both the current diet and the FBDG scenario diet. The scenario diets were nutritionally adequate and improved the dietary quality among Norwegian 2-year-olds. CONCLUSION Compared to current diets among young children, more plant-based dietary patterns in line with national FBDG or the EAT-Lancet Commission reference diet can improve the nutritional adequacy of diets and simultaneously reduce environmental impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bob van Oort
- CICERO Center for International Climate Research, Oslo, Norway
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Yang P, Yu M, Ma X, Deng D. Carbon Footprint of the Pork Product Chain and Recent Advancements in Mitigation Strategies. Foods 2023; 12:4203. [PMID: 38231615 DOI: 10.3390/foods12234203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The carbon footprint of pork production is a pressing concern due to the industry's significant greenhouse gas emissions. It is crucial to achieve low-carbon development and carbon neutrality in pork production. Thus, this paper reviewed the recent studies about various sources of carbon emissions throughout the current pork production chain; feed production, processing, and manure management are the major sources of carbon emissions. The carbon footprint of the pork production chain varies from 0.6 to 6.75 kg CO2e·kg-1 pig live weight, and the carbon footprint of 1 kg of pork cuts is equivalent to 2.25 to 4.52 kg CO2e. A large reduction in carbon emissions could be achieved simultaneously if combining strategies of reducing transportation distances, optimizing farmland management, minimizing chemical fertilizer usage, promoting organic farming, increasing renewable energy adoption, and improving production efficiency. In summary, these mitigation strategies could effectively decrease carbon emissions by 6.5% to 50% in each sector. Therefore, a proper combination of mitigation strategies is essential to alleviate greenhouse gas emissions without sacrificing pork supply.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pan Yang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed of South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Miao Yu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed of South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Xianyong Ma
- Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed of South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Dun Deng
- Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed of South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
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Nordman M, Lassen AD, Stockmarr A, van ‘t Veer P, Biesbroek S, Trolle E. Exploring healthy and climate-friendly diets for Danish adults: an optimization study using quadratic programming. Front Nutr 2023; 10:1158257. [PMID: 37396137 PMCID: PMC10307962 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1158257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background A transition to healthy and sustainable diets has the potential to improve human and planetary health but diets need to meet requirements for nutritional adequacy, health, environmental targets, and be acceptable to consumers. Objective The objective of this study was to derive a nutritionally adequate and healthy diet that has the least deviation possible from the average observed diet of Danish adults while aiming for a greenhouse gas emission (GHGE) reduction of 31%, corresponding to the GHGE level of the Danish plant-rich diet, which lays the foundation for the current healthy and sustainable food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) in Denmark. Methods With an objective function minimizing the departure from the average observed diet of Danish adults, four diet optimizations were run using quadratic programming, with different combinations of diet constraints: (1) nutrients only (Nutri), (2) nutrients and health-based targets for food amounts (NutriHealth), (3) GHGE only (GHGE), and finally, (4) combined nutrient, health and GHGE constraints (NutriHealthGHGE). Results The GHGE of the four optimized diets were 3.93 kg CO2-eq (Nutri), 3.77 kg CO2-eq (NutriHealth) and 3.01 kg CO2-eq (GHGE and NutriHealthGHGE), compared to 4.37 kg CO2-eq in the observed diet. The proportion of energy from animal-based foods was 21%-25% in the optimized diets compared to 34% in the observed diet and 18% in the Danish plant-rich diet. Moreover, compared to the average Danish diet, the NutriHealthGHGE diet contained more grains and starches (44 E% vs. 28 E%), nuts (+230%), fatty fish (+89%), eggs (+47%); less cheese (-73%), animal-based fats (-76%), total meat (-42%); and very limited amounts of ruminant meat, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages (all-90%), while the amounts of legumes and seeds were unchanged. On average, the mathematically optimized NutriHealthGHGE diet showed a smaller deviation from the average Danish diet compared to the Danish plant-rich diet (38% vs. 169%, respectively). Conclusion The final optimized diet presented in this study represents an alternative way of composing a nutritionally adequate and healthy diet that has the same estimated GHGE as a diet consistent with the climate-friendly FBDGs in Denmark. As this optimized diet may be more acceptable for some consumers, it might help to facilitate the transition toward more healthy and sustainable diets in the Danish population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matilda Nordman
- National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Anne Dahl Lassen
- National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Anders Stockmarr
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Pieter van ‘t Veer
- Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Sander Biesbroek
- Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Ellen Trolle
- National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
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Lassen AD, Thorsen AV, Trolle E. Current Practices and Opportunities for More Sustainable Public Food Procurement: A Qualitative Study among Danish Municipalities and Regions. Foods 2023; 12:foods12101975. [PMID: 37238792 DOI: 10.3390/foods12101975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Revised: 05/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Public food procurement has been emphasized as a powerful tool to promote a healthier and more sustainable food system, but there is still a long way to go to reach full potential. This study aimed to investigate practices and opportunities for sustainable and healthy public food procurement. A qualitative cross-sectional study was performed among Danish municipalities and regions stratified and randomly selected to cover standard practice (n = 17). In addition, interviews were performed among selected best-practice municipalities (n = 5) providing examples of ambitious goals and well-defined processes for obtaining sustainable food procurement. Large differences were observed in the cross-sectional analysis in relation to policy support and goals for sustainable food procurement, including organic purchase. Generally, there was a great attentiveness to reduce food waste and many valued the use of local food, especially among rural municipalities, whereas experience with climate impact reduction and shifts towards more plant-based menus was still in an early implementation stage. Results suggest a possible synergy effect between the use of organic food and efforts to reduce food waste and climate impact and emphasize the importance of local government policies to promote healthy and sustainable food procurement. Enabling factors to move sustainable food procurement forward are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Dahl Lassen
- National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Anne Vibeke Thorsen
- National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Ellen Trolle
- National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
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Jennings R, Henderson AD, Phelps A, Janda KM, van den Berg AE. Five U.S. Dietary Patterns and Their Relationship to Land Use, Water Use, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Implications for Future Food Security. Nutrients 2023; 15:215. [PMID: 36615871 PMCID: PMC9823774 DOI: 10.3390/nu15010215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The U.S. agri-food system is a driver of climate change and other impacts. In order to achieve environmental targets that limit global mean temperature rise ≤2 °C, a shift in American dietary patterns is critical. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to determine the environmental impact (i.e., land use, water use, and GHG emissions) related to consumption of five U.S. dietary patterns (i.e., Current U.S., the Healthy U.S., Mediterranean, Healthy Vegetarian, and Vegan), and (2) to determine the specific impact of each food group in each dietary pattern on the three environmental indicators. This study utilized existing datasets to synthesize information related to the study's environmental indicators and food production and connected these data to the current U.S. diet and the USDA-defined diets. Results indicate that the three omnivore diets contributed the greatest to GHG emissions, land use and water use. The Vegan diet scored the lowest across all indicators, although the water required for plant-based protein nearly offset other water gains. For the omnivore diets, red meat and dairy milk contributed the most to each environmental indicator. By considering sustainability as well as health outcomes in their recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines, the USDA can have a critical role in shifting diets necessary to alter climate change trends.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rose Jennings
- Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, UTHealth Houston School of Public Health Austin Campus, Austin, TX 77030, USA
| | - Andrew D. Henderson
- Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, UTHealth Houston School of Public Health Austin Campus, Austin, TX 77030, USA
- Eastern Research Group, Concord, MA 01742, USA
| | - Alexis Phelps
- Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, UTHealth Houston School of Public Health Austin Campus, Austin, TX 77030, USA
| | - Kathryn M. Janda
- Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, UTHealth Houston School of Public Health Austin Campus, Austin, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Public Health, Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76706, USA
| | - Alexandra E. van den Berg
- Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, UTHealth Houston School of Public Health Austin Campus, Austin, TX 77030, USA
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