Nutrition and its footprints: Using environmental indicators to assess the nexus between sustainability and food

Current food systems are associated with the unsustainable use of natural resources; therefore, rethinking current models is urgent and is part of a global agenda to reach sustainable development. Sustainable diets encompass health, society, economy, culture as well as the environment, in addition t...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Rolim, Priscilla Moura, Hatjiathanassiadou, Maria, Seabra, Larissa Mont’Alverne Jucá
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:Brasil
Institución:Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN)
Repositorio:Repositório Institucional da UFRN
Idioma:portugués
inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.ufrn.br:123456789/63821
Acceso en línea:https://repositorio.ufrn.br/handle/123456789/63821
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2022.1078997
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Sustainable development
Environmental indicator
Water footprint
Carbon footprint
Ecological footprint
Food system
Descripción
Sumario:Current food systems are associated with the unsustainable use of natural resources; therefore, rethinking current models is urgent and is part of a global agenda to reach sustainable development. Sustainable diets encompass health, society, economy, culture as well as the environment, in addition to considering all the stages that make up the food production chain. This study aimed to perform a review on the importance of using environmental footprints (EnF) as a way of assessing the environmental impacts of food systems. The most used EnF to assess impacts related to the food system was the carbon footprint, followed by the water footprint, and the land use footprint. These EnF usually measured the impacts mainly of the current diet and theoretical diets. Animal-source foods were the ones that most contribute to the environmental impact, with incentives to reduce consumption. However, changing dietary patterns should not be restricted to changing behavior only, but should also involve all stakeholders in the functioning of food systems. We conclude that EnF are excellent tools to evaluate and guide the adoption of more sustainable diets, and can be applied in dierent contexts of food systems, such as food consumption analysis, menu analysis, food waste, and inclusion of EnF information on food labels