Changing Dietary Behavior for Better Biodiversity Preservation: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

Broadly consumed dietary patterns, such as the European and Western ones, are exerting pressures on biodiversity both in Europe and globally, and shifting toward a sustainable dietary pattern has thus become a must. This paper constitutes a preliminary communication of the results of a research project on the issue. In this study, the pressures of three dietary patterns (European, Western, and Mediterranean) on biodiversity are addressed in terms of land use, water use, greenhouse gas emissions, and eutrophication impact indicators. The environmental impacts are calculated based on a compositional analysis of each dietary pattern and the environmental footprints of the corresponding food groups. Food balance sheets published by the FAO are used as a basis for the compositional analysis, while the environmental footprints of each of the representative food products are retrieved from related life cycle assessment (LCA) studies. The results show that a shift from the European to the Mediterranean dietary pattern would lead to 10 m2/capita/day land savings, 240 L/capita/day water savings, 3 kg CO2/capita/day reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and 20 gPO4eq/capita/day reductions in eutrophication potential. Likewise, a shift from the Western to the Mediterranean dietary pattern would lead to 18 m2/capita/day land savings, 100 L/capita/day water savings, 4 kg CO2/capita/day reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and 16 gPO4eq/capita/day reduction in eutrophication potential. Based on these findings, it is clear that this shift is urgently needed as a step toward environmentally sustainable dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean one, to preserve biodiversity for future generations.

Assessment of the Methodology That Is Used to Determine the Nutritional Sustainability of the Mediterranean Diet—A Scoping Review

“…The identified studies were published between 2012 and 2021. A total of 28 records met the eligibility criteria: 9 studies assessed the sustainability of MedDiet based on food consumption data ( 22 – 30 ), 11 studies assessed the MedDiet sustainability using dietary patterns recommendations (dietary scenarios) ( 31 – 41 ), 4 studies used a mixed approach (dietary consumption data vs. dietary scenarios) ( 42 – 45 ), and 4 studies proposed methodological approaches to assess sustainability within the MedDiet ( 46 – 49 ). All 28 articles reviewed were found to be transparent and provided the information required for our analysis.…”

“…Out of the 28 articles included in this review, 11 analyzed MedDiet sustainability based on the models of dietary patterns or recommendations (dietary scenarios) ( 31 – 41 ). Relevant information from these articles is summarized in Table 3 .…”

“…Studies were conducted using the recommendations or dietary patterns from countries located in the Mediterranean basin, Netherlands, and the United States; briefly, one study was conducted in the Netherlands ( 37 ), three studies in the United States ( 34 , 35 , 39 ), seven studies in the Mediterranean basin ( 32 , 33 , 36 , 38 – 41 ), and one study with no specific location discernible ( 31 ). The identified studies were published between 2012 and 2021.…”

“…Most of the studies compared the MedDiet scenario with other dietary patterns or recommendations, such as, the European dietary pattern ( 31 ), the Western dietary pattern ( 31 ), EAT-Lancet reference diet ( 32 ), the Southern European Atlantic Diet (SEAD) ( 33 ), the Spanish Dietary Guidelines (NAOS) ( 33 ), Healthy US diet ( 34 , 35 ), Lacto-ovo vegetarian diet ( 34 ), typical American diet ( 34 , 39 ), healthy vegetarian dietary pattern ( 35 ), New Nordic diet ( 36 , 37 ), optimized Low Lands diet ( 37 ), Italian average diet ( 40 ), healthy consumption pattern ( 40 ), vegetarian consumption pattern ( 40 ), status-quo diet (Iran) ( 41 ), WHO recommended diet ( 41 ), and the diet recommended by World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) ( 41 ). One study explored the sustainability of different MedDiet scenarios, such as Healthy MedDiet, healthy pesco-vegetarian MedDiet, and healthy vegetarian MedDiet ( 38 ).…”

“…Most of the studies reported environmental sustainability indicators, including land use ( 31 , 37 ), water use ( 31 , 35 ), GHGs emissions ( 31 , 36 , 37 ), eutrophication potential ( 31 ), water footprint (WF) ( 32 , 33 , 39 ), CF ( 33 , 40 ), global warming potential ( 34 , 35 ), freshwater eutrophication ( 35 ), marine eutrophication ( 35 ), particulate matter or respiratory organics ( 35 ), and energy use ( 40 ). The WF is an indicator of freshwater consumption (from rainfall, surface, and groundwater) that looks at direct and indirect water use of a producer or consumer and water resources appropriation (expressed in liters) ( 33 ).…”