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An Environmental Impact Calculator for 24-h Diet Recalls

Author

Listed:
  • Thomas Bryan

    (Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA)

  • Andrea Hicks

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA)

  • Bruce Barrett

    (Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA)

  • Catherine Middlecamp

    (Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA)

Abstract

The production of food is associated with significant environmental impact. In this paper, we describe the first assessment of the environmental impact of food consumption in the United States using individually reported dietary intake data from a nationally representative sample. Using individual-level dietary intake data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and applying median environmental impact factors compiled by Poore and Nemecek (2018), we estimate that the daily diet that a non-institutionalized U.S. civilian reports results in a mean of 3.92 m 2 (95% CI: 3.51–4.34) of land used, 2.26 kg (95% CI: 2.09–2.42)of CO 2 e emitted, and 159 L (95% CI: 150–168) of freshwater withdrawn. The scope of all impacts is agricultural; transportation, storage, and preparation were not included. These results suggest that the calculator is ready for further development. This calculator can be used to estimate the environmental impact of individual diets in the 5100 studies (as of November 2018) registered with the Automated Self-Administered 24-h Dietary Assessment Tool, in addition to the last two decades of the nationally representative NHANES research.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas Bryan & Andrea Hicks & Bruce Barrett & Catherine Middlecamp, 2019. "An Environmental Impact Calculator for 24-h Diet Recalls," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-8, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:23:p:6866-:d:293524
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Berners-Lee, M. & Hoolohan, C. & Cammack, H. & Hewitt, C.N., 2012. "The relative greenhouse gas impacts of realistic dietary choices," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 184-190.
    2. Shewmake, Sharon & Okrent, Abigail & Thabrew, Lanka & Vandenbergh, Michael, 2015. "Predicting consumer demand responses to carbon labels," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 168-180.
    3. Nijdam, Durk & Rood, Trudy & Westhoek, Henk, 2012. "The price of protein: Review of land use and carbon footprints from life cycle assessments of animal food products and their substitutes," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(6), pages 760-770.
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    Cited by:

    1. Katerina S. Stylianou & Emily McDonald & Victor L. Fulgoni III & Olivier Jolliet, 2020. "Standardized Recipes and Their Influence on the Environmental Impact Assessment of Mixed Dishes: A Case Study on Pizza," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-16, November.

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