Chinese Food Consumption Adaptation and Sustainability Under Climate Warming

Changes in food consumption are closely related to food production, loss, and waste. Few studies focused on people’s adaptation to climate warming through changes in food consumption quantity. This study examined how climate warming in the current year and the preceding year affects the per capita consumption quantity of 14 food items, identifying both passive and active adaptations. The study employed a dynamic panel data regression model based on annual average daily temperatures from 1985 to 2022 in 30 provinces of China. We found that Chinese residents actively adapted to climate warming by increasing their consumption of pork, mutton, eggs, and beef while decreasing their intake of dairy products, aquatic products, vegetable oil, beans and tubers, and animal fats. They passively adapted to climate warming by increasing their consumption of dried and fresh fruits, aquatic products, vegetable oil, animal fats, poultry, and beans and tubers while decreasing their consumption of grains, pork, dairy products, and beef. Moreover, climate warming drove region and income specific dietary shifts through active and passive adaptations that raise pork eggs grains and oils while cutting beef poultry beans and tubers across South/North and rich/poor areas. These findings will help policymakers achieve the goal of sustainable food consumption by aligning climate, nutrition, and equity targets for resilient food-system transitions.