Analyzing sustainability in bread production: a life cycle assessment approach to energy, exergy and environmental footprint.

Bread production is a pivotal component of global nutrition. However, its extensive production imposes significant strain on resources and energy, resulting in substantial environmental consequences. This study focuses on a multidimensional assessment of the environmental sustainability of the bread life cycle as a case study in Iran. By integrating four life cycle assessment (LCA) methods, this research demonstrates a comprehensive analysis of environmental effects, energy consumption, and exergy demand in bread production. It also identifies the hotspot stages and inputs within the bread production chain. Eventually, it proposes strategies for mitigating the environmental impacts in line with sustainable development goals. Data collection involved questionnaires by face-to-face interviews. The LCA evaluation was conducted using SimaPro software. Sustainability analysis was assessed using four different methods: CML, ReCiPe, cumulative energy demand (CED), and cumulative exergy demand (CExD) method, from cradle to bakery gate. The CML method results indicate that the highest environmental impacts are associated with marine aquatic ecotoxicity (157.04 to 193.36 kg 1,4-DB eq), fossil fuel depletion (11.05 to 12.73 MJ), eutrophication (4.20 × 10-3 to 4.70 × 10-3 kg PO4-3 eq), acidification (8.09 × 10-3 to 9.16 × 10-3 kg SO2 eq), and global warming (0.61 to 0.69 kg CO2 eq). The ReCiPe method highlights wheat production stages and gas consumption as the most significant contributors to damage in terms of human health, ecosystems, and resource consumption indicators. The CED method reveals that fossil energy accounts for over 97% of the energy consumed during the bread life cycle. Energy consumption per kilogram of bread ranges from 12.07 to 13.93 MJ. The CExD method for producing 1 kg of traditional bread falls between 32.25 and 35.88 MJ. More than 60% of this value is attributed to renewable resources of water used in irrigation during the wheat farming stage, while over 35% is linked to non-renewable fossil resources, primarily due to the consumption of natural gas in bakery operations. To assess the potential decrease in environmental emissions, a sensitivity analysis was performed, considering the effects of substituting natural gas with biogas and grid electricity with photovoltaic electricity in the bakery. Then, three improved scenarios were developed, each demonstrating effective reductions in environmental impacts, with the most remarkable decreases observed in marine aquatic ecotoxicity (55%) and fossil fuel depletion (44%). Overall, the findings demonstrate that Sangak bread production exhibits a more environmentally friendly profile than other types of bread. These results can guide decision-makers in the bread production industry towards implementing sustainable practices that prioritize resource efficiency and environmental conservation. Also, stakeholders can develop strategies to reduce the environmental impacts and work towards a more sustainable future.

Positive public attitudes towards agricultural robots.

Robot technologies could lead to radical changes in farming. But what does the public know and think about agricultural robots? Recent experience with other agricultural technologies-such as plant genetic engineering-shows that public perceptions can influence the pace and direction of innovation, so understanding perceptions and how they are formed is important. Here, we use representative data from an online survey (n = 2269) to analyze public attitudes towards crop farming robots in Germany-a country where new farming technologies are sometimes seen with skepticism. While less than half of the survey participants are aware of the use of robots in agriculture, general attitudes are mostly positive and the level of interest is high. A framing experiment suggests that the type of information provided influences attitudes. Information about possible environmental benefits increases positive perceptions more than information about possible food security and labor market effects. These insights can help design communication strategies to promote technology acceptance and sustainable innovation in agriculture.

How Do Social and Behavioral Change Interventions Respond to Social Norms to Improve Women's Diets in Low- and Middle-Income Countries? A Scoping Review.

Healthy dietary practices are highly influenced by social norms, the widely-held expectations about the behaviors that are appropriate or typical within a given group. However, many nutrition programs designed to reduce women's undernutrition in low- and middle-income countries do not address the influence of social and gender norms in their interventions, and therefore, there is limited information about how norms-responsive interventions have been designed and implemented. The objective of this scoping review was to identify and describe social and behavioral change interventions designed to improve women's dietary practices and nutritional intake that integrate the influence of social and gender norms. We systematically searched 4 databases (Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and CINAHL) for peer-reviewed articles describing design, implementation, and/or assessment of nutrition interventions in low- or middle-income countries. Results are reported following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Our review identified 27 articles from 25 projects or research studies that addressed social or gender norms related to women's dietary practices. The majority focused on the pregnancy and lactation periods, and a few aimed to reach all women of reproductive age. Interventions most often endeavored to shift norms through multiple activities, channels, and platforms, aiming to reach not only the primary participants but also influencers and reference groups. Intervention approaches ranged from home visits and support groups to engage influential family members to community-level outreach with opinion leaders such as religious leaders, health care workers, and peer change agents. Most interventions were delivered through the health sector or were community-based, with some nutrition-sensitive agriculture interventions. There is increasing, although still limited, integration of social and gender norms perspectives in the design, implementation, and assessment of interventions to improve women's diets. This comprehensive review summarizes influential norms and intervention approaches, an important step toward enhancing the effectiveness of social and behavioral change interventions by addressing nutrition-relevant norms. This study was registered at Open Science Framework as JSBF7.

Divergent beliefs about food safety and affordability in Nigeria.

Access to safe, affordable diets is paramount for improved nutritional outcomes. Yet, how do stakeholders perceive the binding constraints and requisite policy actions to increase food safety and affordability? Focusing on Nigeria, this paper uses best-worst scaling techniques applied to a survey of 200 government and agrifood system stakeholders to examine their policy beliefs on safety and affordability vis-à-vis the vegetable and fish value chains. We find that divergence among stakeholders is greater for food safety than affordability. While antibiotics overuse and toxin exposure, lack of knowledge, and weak legislation were identified by different stakeholders as the binding constraints for food safety, high costs of inputs and infrastructure, as well as security threats, were seen as common challenges for affordability across most, though not all, stakeholders for both value chains. Overall, the paper highlights the importance of beliefs in the agrifood system policymaking process and emphasizes the need to explore not only the existence but also the source of divergent beliefs among policy actors in greater depth.

Sustainability-informed dietetics education: key messages for educators and national dietetics associations.

BACKGROUND: Dietetics curricula currently fail to meet the educational needs of the future dietetic workforce to contribute expertise in sustainable, healthy food systems in the settings in which dietitians work. A 'Global Networking Event on Sustainable Food Systems in Nutrition and Dietetics Education' was held in June 2023 with the goals of building relationships among international stakeholders and informing the development of shared curricula. METHODS: Plenary lectures, panels and roundtable discussions were held over 2 days, designed to provide the background required to generate informed actions. Topics included recent research from practice and education, competency standards and relevant policy documents, examples from the field, 'big questions' about scope and student perspectives. Key messages were summarised thematically to inform educators and national dietetics associations. RESULTS: Fifty-five delegates attended from 11 nations representing education, research, dietetic associations, industry and diverse practice backgrounds. Key priorities identified for educators included co-development of curricular frameworks and pedagogical theory, practical training supports and solutions to limited time and expertise. Key recommendations for national dietetics associations included strategic promotion of sustainable food systems in dietetic roles and practical supports. CONCLUSIONS: Outcomes are anticipated to stimulate ongoing discussion, collaboration and actions on sustainable food systems education within the dietetics profession leading to shared curricular models and supports.

Ultra-processing should be understood as a holistic issue, from food matrix, to dietary patterns, food scoring, and food systems.

The ultra-processed food (UPF) concept first emerged 15 years ago, and is now studied worldwide in different contexts, for example, human health, food behavior, socio-economic, food consumption, food scoring, and food system sustainability. Briefly, UPFs are defined as containing at least one marker of ultra-processing (MUP). MUPs are (1) cosmetic additives, (2) aromas, (3) some highly processed carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and/or fiber, and (4) drastic processes directly applied to food such as extrusion cooking or puffing. The first three categories of MUPs are on the food packaging in the list of ingredients, and are extracted, then purified, from raw foods or coming from artificial syntheses, leading to a-matrix/a-cellular compounds. Therefore, the core paradigm to define MUP is extreme food matrix degradation, and for UPF, matrix artificialization. Besides, UPFs are more than just junk food, encompassing numerous industrialized foods, falsely presented as healthy, for example, animal-based food analogs, but also organic, vegan, gluten-free, micronutrient-enriched, and/or light foods. In this way, UPFs are "high-quality junk foods." Otherwise, UPF being a holistic and indivisible concept by essence, we propose in this review to analyze ultra-processing at four holistic levels corresponding to four important scientific issues: the food matrix, the dietary pattern, food system, and food scoring. We reached the main conclusion that UPFs should be first studied with a holistic and scientifically based approach, not a reductionist one. Otherwise, we take the risk of performing greenwashing and create still more new health threats at a global level.

Binary Pea Protein-Psyllium Hydrogel: Insights into the Influence of pH and Ionic Strength on the Physical Stability and Mechanical Characteristics.

Food hydrogels, used as delivery systems for bioactive compounds, can be formulated with various food-grade biopolymers. Their industrial utility is largely determined by their physicochemical properties. However, comprehensive data on the properties of pea protein-psyllium binary hydrogels under different pH and ionic strength conditions are limited. The aim of this research was to evaluate the impact of pH (adjusted to 7, 4.5, and 3) and ionic strength (modified by NaCl addition to 0.15 and 0.3 M) on the physical stability, color, texture, microrheological, and viscoelastic properties of these hydrogels. Color differences were most noticeable at lower pH levels. Inducing hydrogels at pH 7 (with or without NaCl) and pH 4.5 and 3 (without NaCl) resulted in complete gel structures with low stability, low elastic and storage moduli, and low complex viscosity, making them easily spreadable. Lower pH inductions (4.5 and 3) in the absence of NaCl resulted in hydrogels with shorter linear viscoelastic regions. Hydrogels induced at pH 4.5 and 3 with NaCl had high structural stability, high G' and G" moduli, complex viscosity, and high spreadability. Among the tested induction conditions, pH 3 with 0.3 M NaCl allowed for obtaining a hydrogel with the highest elastic and storage moduli values. Adjusting pH and ionic strength during hydrogel induction allows for modifying and tailoring their properties for specific industrial applications.

U.S. food policy to address diet-related chronic disease.

Poor diet is the leading cause of mortality in the U.S. due to the direct relationship with diet-related chronic diseases, disproportionally affects underserved communities, and exacerbates health disparities. Evidence-based policy solutions are greatly needed to foster an equitable and climate-smart food system that improves health, nutrition and reduces chronic disease healthcare costs. To directly address epidemic levels of U.S. diet-related chronic diseases and nutritional health disparities, we conducted a policy analysis, prioritized policy options and implementation strategies, and issued final recommendations for bipartisan consideration in the 2023-24 Farm Bill Reauthorization. Actional recommendations include: sugar-sweetened beverage taxation, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) fruit and vegetable subsidy expansion, replacement of ultra-processed foods (UPF) with sustainable, diverse, climate-smart agriculture and food purchasing options, and implementing "food is medicine."

The quality of frozen-thawed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) fillets as affected by sub-chilling before freezing.

BACKGROUND: To maintain the quality of frozen Atlantic salmon after thawing and highlight the potential for moving from air fright to boat for long-distance export, a study was designed to investigate the effects of sub-chilling before rapid freezing on the quality of thawed fillets. Atlantic salmon chilled on wet ice before filleting and freezing was used as a control for the experimental factor chilling, whereas fresh fillets were used for the frozen-thawed samples. RESULTS: The pre-freezing chilling method interacted with the storage protocol and significantly affected the product. For fresh stored fillets, sub-chilling improved the microbiological and textural stability and degradation of proteins. After 1 month of frozen storage, sub-chilled fillets gave better color and textural properties, less adenosine triphosphate degradation and protein denaturation. In addition, sub-chilled 4-month-frozen fillets also showed improved microbial stability compared to those initially chilled with ice before frozen storage. Quality was lost as a function of storage. Fresh fillets generally had higher bacterial counts, surface breaking force, firmness, hue and contents of inosine monophosphate, and lower drip loss and inosine (HxR) levels than those stored frozen-thawed. Moreover, 4-month-frozen fillets had higher HxR levels and lower psychrotrophic viable count growth than those that were frozen for 1 month. The time fillets were stored frozen did not profoundly affect their quality. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that a frozen product might be competitive with a fresh product when sub-chilling is performed before freezing, especially when including the environmental benefits of frozen export by boat rather than air freight. © 2024 The Author(s). Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

The MED_EAT-IT approach: A modelling study to develop feasible, sustainable and nutritionally targeted dietary patterns based on the Planetary health diet.

In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission introduced the Planetary Health Diet (PHD), a guide for creating 2500 kcal/day country-specific sustainable diets that promote health while reducing the environmental impact associated with food systems. The PHD was previously adapted to the Italian food context, resulting in the EAT-IT dietary pattern. However, this adaptation revealed several challenges in terms of nutritional adequacy, feasibility, and environmental impact. This study reports on strategies to improve the previous pattern and align it more closely with the Mediterranean Diet, resulting in the MED_EAT-IT pattern. The study also explores feasible strategies for adapting this pattern to different energy targets, enhancing its scalability and promoting personalized approaches. For the optimization of this pattern, a specific calculation tool was developed to introduce variation to the pattern, considering realistic and feasible serving sizes and frequency of consumption. This tool integrates a defined food ontology, food composition data, and two environmental impact metrics (Carbon and Water Footprint). To optimize nutritional adequacy, several adaptations of the amount within the different food groups were made, for instance by increasing cereals and animal source by 25.5% kcal/day and 36.2% kcal/day respectively compared to EAT-IT. The resulting 2500 kcal/die pattern meets all nutritional requirements except for vitamin D and does not hamper the possibility to limit environmental impact (Carbon Footprint increased only by 12.2% but Water Footprint decreased by 6.3%). Lower energy targets were achieved by modulating amounts of the different food groups to ensure nutritional adequacy. The strategies and tools proposed here could aid in optimizing dietary plans, evaluating their potential for environmental impact reduction, and identifying issues that could hinder their adoption. Furthermore, the analyses carried out pave the way for the potential future development of new or improved foods that may contribute to the optimization of nutritional and environmental impact of diets.

The Society of Behavioral Medicine urges passage of the PLANT (Peas, Legumes, And Nuts Today) Act.

Current US diets negatively impact human health and the environment, while shifting toward increased intake of plant-based foods could mitigate these issues. Current food policies exacerbate these problems, necessitating a reevaluation and the implementation of new policies. The Society of Behavioral Medicine urges legislators to support the PLANT Act (H.R.5023), which would enhance production, research, and development of plant-based foods and address both health and environmental concerns.

Introduced to the House by Congressman James McGovern, the PLANT Act would expand opportunity for agricultural producers and would make it easier for consumers to afford and access plant-based foods.

Human milk products in the National Health Service: a cross-sectional survey of use and industry contact across England's trusts.

Objectives: Commentators and professional organisations note that an expanding market in human milk-based products (HMBPs) could reduce breastfeeding, compromising maternal and infant health, and undermine public milk bank donations. We investigate whether English NHS trusts purchased these products and whether HMBP companies have marketed to them. Design: Freedom of Information (FOI) requests asking: (1) whether trusts obtained human milk; (2) if so, how; and (3) whether HMBP companies had approached them. We analysed trusts' responses qualitatively. In 2023, an FOI request to the Food Standards Authority (FSA) following a product recall. Setting: England. Participants: One hundred and ninety-four NHS trusts, the FSA. Main Outcome Measures: Obtaining human milk, approaches by companies, and trust responses to approaches. Results: One hundred and seventy-six trusts responded, 102 reporting human milk from milk banks. No trusts reported purchasing from companies in 2022. In 2023, the FSA confirmed six English hospitals used HMBPs from one company; an FOI for trusts' names was refused on law enforcement grounds. Two trusts reported participating in clinical trials funded by companies. Twenty-one reported approaches, using several strategies, including uninvited ward visits. Trusts rejected marketing based on guidance from: (1) trust dieticians or physicians; (2) regional regulatory bodies; (3) professional bodies; and (4) perceived application of an International Code on breastfeeding. Conclusions: Companies market to trusts, adopting methods previously used by the formula industry. Trusts express confusion over whether this infringes agreements designed to promote breastfeeding. We encourage clarification and guidance for professionals and trusts to ensure safety, infant and maternal health, and protect public provision.

Lipophilized rosmarinic acid: Impact of alkyl type and food matrix on antioxidant activity, and optimized enzymatic production.

In this study, the initial focus was on exploring the simultaneous impact of the oil-based food matrix and the polarity of rosmarinic acid derivatives on the antioxidant properties. Rosmarinic acid (RA) showed remarkable DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS radical scavenging activities, followed by methyl rosmarinate (MR) and ethyl rosmarinate (ER). In bulk oil, both conjugated dienes and p-AnV values reached a peak in the following order after 30 days: ER > MR > RA = BHT > control (no antioxidant). In the oil structured using monoacylglycerol, MR was more effective than ER and RA. For ethyl cellulose oleogel, emulsion, and gelled emulsion systems, RA was more effective. Additionally, after confirming the importance of the food matrix on the antioxidant activity of RA derivatives, the lipophilization of RA with ethanol was optimized as a model with Lipozyme 435 in hexane. A conversion yield of as high as 85.59% for ER was achieved, as quantified by HPLC-UV and confirmed by HPLC-DAD-ESI-qTOFMS.

The Future of Plant-Based Diets: Aligning Healthy Marketplace Choices with Equitable, Resilient, and Sustainable Food Systems.

The future of plant-based diets is a complex public health issue inextricably linked to planetary health. Shifting the world's population to consume nutrient-rich, plant-based diets is among the most impactful strategies to transition to sustainable food systems to feed 10 billion people by 2050. This review summarizes how international expert bodies define sustainable diets and food systems and describes types of sustainable dietary patterns. It also explores how the type and proportion of plant- versus animal-source foods and alternative proteins relate to sustainable diets to reduce diet-related morbidity and mortality. Thereafter, we synthesize evidence for current challenges and actions needed to achieve plant-based sustainable dietary patterns using a conceptual framework with principles to promote human health, ecological health, social equity, and economic prosperity. We recommend strategies for governments, businesses, and civil society to encourage marketplace choices that lead to plant-rich sustainable diets within healthy, equitable, and resilient agroecological food systems.

Wild Foods Are Positively Associated with Diet Diversity and Child Growth in a Protected Forest Area of Madagascar.

Background: Concurrent losses in biodiversity and human dietary diversity are evident in Madagascar and across many food systems globally. Wild food harvest can mitigate nutrition insecurities but may also pose species conservation concerns. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the association of wild plant and animal species consumption during hunger season with diet diversity and child growth near the Alandraza-Agnalavelo protected forest in Southwestern Madagascar. Second, we studied the conservation status of the consumed wild plants. Methods: Methods from public health nutrition (24-h recall dietary intake, anthropometry using World Health Organization [WHO] Growth Standards), ethnobotany, and forest ecology (ecologic studies of abundance, habitat preference, associated species, food chemistry assays, and species richness) were applied. Results: Malnutrition in children (n = 305) was highly prevalent: stunting (32.3%); wasting (18.8%); and low-dietary diversity (4% meeting WHO minimum dietary diversity threshold). Animal foods were consumed in small quantities, providing <10% of Dietary Reference Intakes for all limiting nutrients. Twenty-two wild plant species were consumed during hunger season, prominently tubers (Dioscoreaceae), and leafy greens (Asteraceae, Blechnaceae, Portulacaceae, and Solanaceae). Eight of the 9 target species were identified as abundant and "Least Concern," whereas Amorphophollus taurostigma was abundant and "Vulnerable." Regression modeling showed wild food consumption was associated with an increased household dietary diversity score [ß = 0.29 (0.06 standard error); P < 0.001], and total wild animal foods positively correlated with height-for-age Z score [ß = 0.14 (0.07 standard error); P = 0.04]. Conclusions: Wild plant and animal foods may be an important element of food systems to support human nutrition while maintaining ecosystem viability.

Evolution of Food and Nutrition Policy: A Tasmanian Case Study from 1994 to 2023.

Food security is a concept with evolving definitions and meanings, shaped by contested knowledge and changing contexts. The way in which food security is understood by governments impacts how it is addressed in public policy. This research investigates the evolution of discourses and practices in Tasmanian food and nutrition policies from 1994 to 2023. Four foundational documents were analysed using qualitative document analysis, revealing persistent food insecurity issues over three decades. The analysis identified a duality in addressing the persistent policy challenges of nutrition-related health issues and food insecurity: the balancing act between advancing public health improvements and safeguarding Tasmania's economy. The research revealed that from 1994 to 2023, Tasmania's food and nutrition policies and strategies have been characterised by various transitions and tensions. Traditional approaches, predominantly emphasising food availability and, to a limited extent, access, have persisted for over thirty years. The transition towards a more contemporary approach to food security, incorporating dimensions of utilisation, stability, sustainability, and agency, has been markedly slow, indicating systemic inertia. This points to an opportunity for future policy evolution, to move towards a dynamic and comprehensive approach. Such an approach would move beyond the narrow focus of food availability to address the complex multi-dimensional nature of food security.

Pea protein isolate-soluble soybean polysaccharides electrostatic assembly: effect of pH, biopolymer mass ratio and heat treatment.

BACKGROUND: In past years, thousands of protein-polysaccharide complexes have been investigated to modify protein characteristics and functionality in food systems. However, the interaction between pea protein isolate (PPI) and soluble soybean polysaccharide (SSPS) has not been thoroughly characterized yet. RESULTS: In the present study, the phase behavior of PPI and SSPS mixtures was analyzed as a function of PPI:SSPS mixing ratio (1:1 to 1:0.10) and pH (7.0 to 2.0), showing that these biopolymers could be electrostatically assembled at 1:1 to 1:0.25 mixing ratios and 4.0 to 3.0 pH values. Then, the characteristics of the PPI-SSPS complexes were studied before and after heating (90 °C and 30 min) by ζ-potential, surface hydrophobicity, protein solubility, particle size distribution and physical stability for 56 days. By lowering the pH and PPI:SSPS mixing ratio, the complexes showed increased solubility, changed 𝜁-potential and higher physical stability. By heating, the complexes presented increased hydrophobicity and physical stability. CONCLUSION: Overall, PPI-SSPS complexes increased the protein solubility, reduced the particle size, and changed both the ζ-potential and the surface hydrophobicity with respect to PPI control, allowing stabilization of the colloidal system and broadening the possible applications of these high-quality proteins in acidic food systems. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Does urban agriculture contribute to food security, and how might this be achieved?

OBJECTIVE: Food system challenges exacerbate inequalities in access to fresh healthy food and threaten food security. Lack of food security, referred to as food insecurity, is associated with poorer physical and mental health outcomes and has been identified as a key challenge to address by calls for food system transformation. Increasing food production through urban agriculture, the production of fruit and vegetables in urban areas, has been identified as a potentially effective contributor to food system transformation, but the effect of this on household or UK-level food security is unclear. This paper reviews international evidence of urban agriculture's impact on food security. DESIGN: Narrative review. SETTING: This paper reviews international evidence of urban agriculture's impact on food security. PARTICIPANTS: Previously published international research. RESULTS: Whilst findings are mixed, available evidence suggests that urban agriculture makes a modest, yet positive, contribution to food security by facilitating the availability of and access to fresh fruit and vegetables to food insecure households. CONCLUSIONS: Capitalising on the potential for urban agriculture to benefit food security requires government investment and support at both the national and local levels; therefore, increasing access to land for food growing, reducing costs of related resources and collaboration with existing community groups to enhance sharing of skills and expertise are identified as avenues for exploration that may help to achieve this. This review also highlights opportunities for future research in this field that may strengthen the quality of the evidence supporting urban agriculture's impact on food security.

A recipe for change: Analyzing the climate and ecosystem impacts of the Brazilian diet shift.

Diet shift is an opportunity to mitigate the impacts of food systems, which are responsible for about a third of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally and exert various environmental pressures on ecosystems. This study evaluates the mitigation potential of both global and local environmental impacts through dietary changes within the Brazilian context. Furthermore, the study aims to identify the potential benefits and trade-offs that may arise from these dietary transitions, thus providing a comprehensive analysis of the overall environmental implications. To this end, a life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed to evaluate the environmental impacts of a conventional diet in Brazil and seven alternatives, namely adjusted-EAT-Lancet, pescatarian, vegetarian, entomophagic (insect-based food), mycoprotein (microbial-based food), and synthetic (cell-based food) diets. Results indicate a substantial mitigation potential for GHG emissions (4-9 kg CO2e/cap/day) (39 % to 86 %) and land use (4-9 m2/cap/day) (38 % to 82 %) through a diet shift from a conventional diet to any of the seven alternative diets. However, certain trade-offs exist. A diet shift demonstrates no mitigation potential of soil acidification, and opportunities to reduce water eutrophication (0.02-0.2 g Pe/cap/day) (2 % to 24 %) and water consumption (0.2-0.5 m3/cap/day) (7 % to 14 %) were only found by completely substituting animal products for insect-based food, microbial-based food, and cell-based food. This study highlights the considerable potential of dietary changes to mitigate global environmental impacts associated with food systems. By revealing opportunities and challenges, this study supports science-based decision-making and guides efforts toward sustainable and environmentally friendly food consumption patterns.

Applying a climate-biodiversity-health framework to support integrated food systems planning and policy.

Food systems impact different aspects of sustainability and human life, such as pollution, health, climate change, biodiversity loss, water shortage, and soil infertility. However, in many places, food systems are neither resilient nor sustainable. Integrated planning approaches can help to overcome fragmented strategies and policies in ways that improve the sustainability and resilience of food systems. This study explores such an approach by applying a climate-biodiversity-health (CBH) nexus to local and regional food systems in the Comox Valley region, British Columbia, Canada. The CBH nexus is used as an analytical lens to identify systems relationships among food systems, climate change, biodiversity and health issues and strategies in the region. The employs a place-based approach entailing semi-structured interviews with provincial, regional, and local stakeholders in order to develop a holistic understanding of planning challenges, strategies and their outcomes through the CBH lens. Outcomes of this work include a system map that can be used as a framework for elucidating how various strategies align or conflict with different CBH imperatives and can be used to support integrated community sustainability planning and policy-making efforts. The framework is developed within the Comox Valley context, but it can be adapted to other communities. This paper details the development of this framework, the interconnections between different components, and how this framework can be adopted in other communities.