Reducing the carbon footprint of diets across socio-demographic groups in Finland
A mathematical optimisation study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15090409 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Xavier Irz (0000-0001-5659-5291, University of Helsinki, corresponding author), Heli Tapanainen (0009-0007-8402-2897, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare), Minna Saarinen (0000-0002-4375-7682, Natural Resources Institute Finland), Merja Saarinen, Jani Salminen (Finnish Environment Institute), Laura Sares-Jäske (0000-0001-5151-9302, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare), Liisa Valsta (0000-0002-5203-278X, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare), Liisa M Valsta |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | e98-e98 |
| Publication date | 2024-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Public Health Nutrition (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1368-9800 • E-ISSN: 1475-2727 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s1368980024000508 |
| PMID | 38436089 |
| OpenAlex | W4392374916 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 29 |
Objectives: To characterise nutritionally adequate, climate-friendly diets that are culturally acceptable across socio-demographic groups. To identify potential equity issues linked to more climate-friendly and nutritionally adequate dietary changes. Design: An optimisation model minimises distance from observed diets subject to nutritional, greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) and food-habit constraints. It is calibrated to socio-demographic groups differentiated by sex, education and income levels using dietary intake data. The environmental coefficients are derived from life cycle analysis and an environmentally extended input–output model. Setting: Finland. Participants: Adult population. Results: Across all population groups, we find large synergies between improvements in nutritional adequacy and reductions in GHGE, set at one-third or half of the current level. Those reductions result mainly from the substitution of meat with cereals, potatoes and roots and the intra-category substitution of foods, such as beef with poultry in the meat category. The simulated more climate-friendly diets are thus flexitarian. Moving towards reduced-impact diets would not create major inadequacies related to protein and fatty acid intakes, but Fe could be an issue for pre-menopausal females. The initial socio-economic gradient in the GHGE of diets is small, and the patterns of adjustments to more climate-friendly diets are similar across socio-demographic groups. Conclusions: A one-third reduction in GHGE of diets is achievable through moderate behavioural adjustments, but achieving larger reductions may be difficult. The required changes are similar across socio-demographic groups and do not raise equity issues. A population-wide policy to promote behavioural change for diet sustainability would be appropriate
Agricultural science · Biology · Carbon Footprint · Environmental health · Geography · Greenhouse gas · Habit · Population · Sustainability · Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact · Climate Change and Health Impacts · Environmental Impact and Sustainability · Medicine · Psychology · Ecology
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| Unique citing works | 1 |
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| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |