Opportunity for a Dietary Win-Win-Win in Nutrition, Environment, and Animal Welfare

Scherer, L.A.; Behrens, P.A.; Tukker, A. (2019)

Article / Letter to editor

Sustainable food systems are essential for meeting nutritional requirements, limiting environmental impacts, and reducing animal welfare loss. Although current dietary trends in many regions rather go in the opposite direction, the adequacy of dietary guidelines is unknown, and the three sustainability dimensions are generally not assessed simultaneously. Here, we assessed nation-specific recommended diets for these impacts compared with the average diet. We assessed the trade-offs between nutritional quality, environmental sustainability (carbon, land, and water footprints), and animal welfare. Most countries reduce their animal product consumption in terms of food calories when switching to the nationally recommended diet. Recommended diets have the potential for “win-win-wins” in all three categories when compared with the current average diet, such as that shown in Brazil. However, South Korea loses in all three regards, and many other countries face trade-offs. This highlights the scope for the optimization of dietary guidelines to minimize such trade-offs.

• climate change
• farm animals
• food
• footprint
• human health
• impact assessment
• input-output analysis
• land use
• sustainability
• water scarcity

• All authors: Scherer, L.A.; Behrens, P.A.; Tukker, A.
• Date: 2019-11-22
• Journal: One Earth
• Volume: 1
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 349 - 360
• DOI: doi:10.1016/j.oneear.2019.10.020