The impact of changing food choices on the blue water scarcity footprint and greenhouse gas emissions of the British diet: the example of potato, pasta and rice

Hess, Tim; Chatterton, Julia; Daccache, André; Williams, Adrian G.

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.08.098

Cited by 49 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Additionally, it is possible to consider the impact of blue water use at the local level using Life Cycle Assessment-based methods that include relative blue water scarcity (Hess et al, 2016, Ridoutt et al, 2012, Ridoutt et al, 2009). Future analyses could also capture green WF and compare this with local water availability from precipitation and potential yields (Hoekstra, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The water use of Indian diets and socio-demographic factors related to dietary blue water footprint

Harris

Green

Joy

et al. 2017

Science of The Total Environment

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Agriculture accounts for ~ 90% of India's fresh water use, and there are concerns that future food production will be threatened by insufficient water supply of adequate quality. This study aimed to quantify the water required in the production of diets in India using the water footprint (WF) assessment method. The socio-demographic associations of dietary WFs were explored using mixed effects regression models with a particular focus on blue (irrigation) WF given the importance for Indian agriculture. Dietary data from ~ 7000 adults living in India were matched to India-specific WF data for food groups to quantify the blue and green (rainfall) WF of typical diets. The mean blue and green WF of diets was 737 l/capita/day and 2531 l/capita/day, respectively. Vegetables had the lowest WFs per unit mass of product, while roots/tubers had the lowest WFs per unit dietary energy. Poultry products had the greatest blue WFs. Wheat and rice contributed 31% and 19% of the dietary blue WF respectively. Vegetable oils were the highest contributor to dietary green WF. Regional variation in dietary choices meant large differences in dietary blue WFs, whereby northern diets had nearly 1.5 times greater blue WFs than southern diets. Urban diets had a higher blue WF than rural diets, and a higher standard of living was associated with larger dietary blue WFs. This study provides a novel perspective on the WF of diets in India using individual-level dietary data, and demonstrates important variability in WFs due to different food consumption patterns and socio-demographic characteristics. Future dietary shifts towards patterns currently consumed by individuals in higher income groups, would likely increase irrigation requirements putting substantial pressure on India's water resources.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The water use of Indian diets and socio-demographic factors related to dietary blue water footprint

Harris

Green

Joy

et al. 2017

Science of The Total Environment

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“…Reduction of GHGEs per household on a fully local diet is equivalent to 1600 km/year driven and therefore an important factor in mitigating GHG from diets [4]. A British study on the environmental impact of food transport, in this case on the effect of potatoes, rice and pasta on GHGEs and water use, shows that the environmental impact of transporting food products from the same group can vary significantly [32].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Which Diet Has the Least Environmental Impact on Our Planet? A Systematic Review of Vegan, Vegetarian and Omnivorous Diets

et al. 2019

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The food that we consume has a large impact on our environment. The impact varies significantly between different diets. The aim of this systematic review is to address the question: Which diet has the least environmental impact on our planet? A comparison of a vegan, vegetarian and omnivorous diets. This systematic review is based on 16 studies and 18 reviews. The included studies were selected by focusing directly on environmental impacts of human diets. Four electronic bibliographic databases, PubMed, Medline, Scopus and Web of Science were used to conduct a systematic literature search based on fixed inclusion and exclusion criteria. The durations of the studies ranged from 7 days to 27 years. Most were carried out in the US or Europe. Results from our review suggest that the vegan diet is the optimal diet for the environment because, out of all the compared diets, its production results in the lowest level of GHG emissions. Additionally, the reviewed studies indicate the possibility of achieving the same environmental impact as that of the vegan diet, without excluding the meat and dairy food groups, but rather, by reducing them substantially.

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“…They found out that it was possible to cook 1 kg of short pasta with just 3 L of water under mild mixing with a minimum energy need of 0.54 Wh/g, thereby cutting the greenhouse gas emissions caused by dry pasta consumption by approximately 50%. Hess, Chatterton, Daccache, and Williams (2016) estimated the blue water scarcity footprint and greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production, manufacture, and distribution of three popular starchy carbohydrate foods as consumed in the United Kingdom, one of which is dried pasta. Results showed that approximately 50% of the carbon footprint of pasta comes from primary production, 30% comes from processing and packaging, whereas the remaining 20% comes from transportation and distribution.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimum formulation determination and carbon footprint analysis of a novel gluten‐free pasta recipe using buckwheat, teff, and chickpea flours

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2020

J Food Process Preserv

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A gluten‐free pasta formulation was developed by buckwheat supplemented with two different gluten‐free flours (chickpea and teff) and a natural thickener (xanthan gum). A statistical experimental design was used in three levels and protein values were enhanced with the supplementation of tested flours. The optimum formulation was determined via a multi‐criteria decision‐making approach in which the weights of the criteria were obtained via an expert survey. The results of the experiments suggested a pasta formulation including 10% chickpea, 5% teff, and 1% xanthan gum, in addition to the buckwheat flour. Once the optimum formulation was determined, the carbon footprint of this formulation was calculated. The results show that the novel formulation has a 33% lower carbon footprint compared to commercial pasta. Findings of this study indicate that the formulation proposed in this paper is beneficial both in terms of human health and environment. Practical applications We are proposing a novel pasta formulation, which is not only free of gluten, but also has lower carbon footprint compared to its competitors. Hence, we are targeting an audience of people who would like to reduce their gluten consumption for various health reasons, as well as people who would like to reduce their environmental footprint. This research would be helpful to the industry as it involves a novel pasta formulation, but also to the academy as it uses an original approach of incorporating multi‐criteria decision making, statistical analysis, and life cycle assessment methodologies for product quality determination.

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The impact of changing food choices on the blue water scarcity footprint and greenhouse gas emissions of the British diet: the example of potato, pasta and rice

Cited by 49 publications

References 44 publications

The water use of Indian diets and socio-demographic factors related to dietary blue water footprint

The water use of Indian diets and socio-demographic factors related to dietary blue water footprint

Which Diet Has the Least Environmental Impact on Our Planet? A Systematic Review of Vegan, Vegetarian and Omnivorous Diets

Optimum formulation determination and carbon footprint analysis of a novel gluten‐free pasta recipe using buckwheat, teff, and chickpea flours

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