Five U.S. Dietary Patterns and Their Relationship to Land Use, Water Use, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Implications for Future Food Security

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.

Exploring the Landscape of Media Campaigns That Encourage or Discourage Sustainable Diet Transitions for Americans, 1917–2023: A Systematic Scoping Review

“…This aligns with global climate scientists' recommendations for national governments to align agricultural subsidies with the Paris Agreement and other global climate goals and for high-income countries to transition to more plant-based food systems to support planetary health [5]. Given that Americans' RPM intake exceeds current DGA recommendations [24], which are codeveloped by the USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as evidence-based nutrition advice, the USDA's support for meat commodities and marketing campaigns could be viewed as a conflict of interest. These efforts to further increase Americans' intake of RPM products undermine policy coherence from other major U.S. government initiatives, such as those outlined in the 2022 Biden-Harris National Strategy, that aim to create healthier food environments and reduce diet-related chronic diseases [253].…”

“…The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) report includes three dietary patterns (i.e., the Healthy U.S.-Style, the Healthy Mediterranean-Style, and the Healthy Vegetarian) [18]. All three DGA-recommended patterns recommend lower red meat consumption than the current average American intake level [24], and the DGAs discourage processed meat intake [18]. Yet the DGA-recommended Healthy U.S.-Style and Healthy Mediterranean-Style patterns may not have environmental benefits over current U.S. dietary patterns, largely due to their high red meat allotment [24].…”

“…All three DGA-recommended patterns recommend lower red meat consumption than the current average American intake level [24], and the DGAs discourage processed meat intake [18]. Yet the DGA-recommended Healthy U.S.-Style and Healthy Mediterranean-Style patterns may not have environmental benefits over current U.S. dietary patterns, largely due to their high red meat allotment [24].…”

Environmental Impact of Two Plant-Based, Isocaloric and Isoproteic Diets: The Vegan Diet vs. the Mediterranean Diet

“…To our knowledge, no study has so far compared the total environmental impact of the Mediterranean diet with that of the Vegan diet. The available studies either did not compare the two diets contextually or compared only some of the impacts but not the total impact [25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35].…”

Screening Lactic Acid Bacteria from Seaweed for Plant Milk Fermentation: A Preliminary Research

“…As the focus on the health benefits of plant-based milk intensifies, fermentation processes have gained prominence for augmenting its nutritional profile [1]. This shift towards plant-based alternatives is not solely motivated by health considerations; it is also propelled by the understanding that traditional dairy production is considerably less sustainable due to high land and water use [2]. Hence, there is a growing imperative to transition towards more sustainable options.…”