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What are the Sustainability Metrics?
The sustainability metrics are variables used to provide a measurement of the environmental impact of food. The greenhouse gas, land use and water use metrics can help to evaluate the impact of the diet and adapt it to be more environmentally friendly.
Greenhouse Gases trap heat in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. Farming, animal feed, transport and packaging are examples of parts of food product that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
Agriculture is a major part of land use and some products require more land use which negatively impacts the environment.
The amount of water used to produce the product and the environmental pressure this puts on regions where the demand for water is greater than the amount available.
Where to find the Sustainability Metrics?
Greenhouse gases, land use and water use can be found in the Environmental Impact section of the Dashboard.
Further Resources:
- The Importance of Eating a Sustainable Diet | myfood24
- Environmental Impacts of Food Production – Our World in Data
References:
Ritchie, H., Rosado, P., and Roser, M. (2022). Environmental impacts of food production. Available at:
https://ourworldindata.org/environmental-impacts-of
-food#:~:text=Land%20use%20accounts%20for%202
4,transport%2C%20packaging%2C%20and%20retail.
[Accessed 13 September 2024].
Williams, G., Hasenböhler, A., Hamilton, A., Cade, J., and Galazoula, M. (2024). Sustainability metrics of the UK diet using myfood24. https://doi.org/
10.26226/m.6671b57d28d91682b280696e.
Written By:
Lucy Clarkson, SENR Nutritionist and Database Support, myfood24.