Examining the Environmental Impacts of the Dairy and Baby Food Industries: Are First-Food Systems a Crucial Missing Part of the Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems Agenda Now Underway?

Abstract

Food systems are increasingly being understood as driving various health and ecological crises and their transformation is recognised as a key opportunity for planetary health. First-food systems represent an underexplored aspect of this transformation. Despite breastfeeding representing the optimal source of infant nutrition, use of commercial milk formula (CMF) is high and growing rapidly. In this review, we examine the impact of CMF use on planetary health, considering in particular its effects on climate change, water use and pollution and the consequences of these effects for human health. Milk is the main ingredient in the production of CMF, making the role of the dairy sector a key area of attention. We find that CMF use has twice the carbon footprint of breastfeeding, while 1 kg of CMF has a blue water footprint of 699 L; CMF has a significant and harmful environmental impact. Facilitation and protection of breastfeeding represents a key part of developing sustainable first-food systems and has huge potential benefits for maternal and child health.

Performance of an Innovative Low-Cost Recycled Filling (LCRF) in Anaerobic Treatment of Dairy Effluent—A Pilot-Scale Study

“…The largest producers are India, the European Union (EU) and the USA, at 196.2 million, 167.4 million and 99.2 million tons produced, respectively. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) expects global annual milk production to reach 997 million tons by 2029 [ 3 , 4 ]. This growth in milk production goes hand in hand with the increased generation of wastewater, whose properties make it dangerous to aquatic ecosystems [ 5 , 6 ].…”

Environmental Impact of Feeding with Infant Formula in Comparison with Breastfeeding

“…Recent studies have reported increasing global sales of milk-based formulas intended for infants and young children [ 10 , 11 ]. Concerns have been raised around this increasing use of milk-based formulas, both in regards to health and economic, as well as social and environmental factors [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. Awareness of food system sustainability is high on the global political agenda [ 17 , 18 ].…”

“…Awareness of food system sustainability is high on the global political agenda [ 17 , 18 ]. Numerous recent reports call for more sustainable food systems and diets [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ], including those for infants and young children [ 11 , 12 ].…”

“…Amonkar et al, 2019, on the other hand, found a higher carbon footprint of breastmilk than infant formula, assuming that breastfeeding mothers regularly expressed their breastmilk [ 28 ]. In addition, a more recent study from Pope et al, 2021 described a considerable water footprint of infant formula [ 12 ]. Other categories of environmental impact are not examined in the peer-reviewed literature on infant formula feeding and breastfeeding.…”

Maternal and child nutrition must be at the heart of the climate change agendas

“…The vast majority of those forced from their homes because of climate change live in developing countries, and women and children are amongst the most vulnerable to its consequences, with displaced women facing increased risk of gender‐based violence, including domestic violence, forced marriage and trafficking (CARE International, 2020 ). UN and government agendas, however, are not paying enough attention to the disproportionate impact that climate change has on the health and food and nutrition security of women, infants, and children living in low‐income settings (Blakstad & Smith, 2020 ; CARE International, 2020 ; Pope et al, 2021 ).…”