Greenhouse gas emissions of UK diets

Abstract

A move to a more sustainable diet has been promoted as a way to reduce the impact of human activities on the planet(1) and improve population health(2). Food consumption is responsible for up to 30% of the environmental impact of households(3-4). Diet-associated GHGE (greenhouse gas emissions) have been estimated in several studies, however, very few have estimated them from diets recorded by consumers themselves (self-selected diets)(5). The aim of this study was to update estimates of diet-associated GHGE(6-7) for the whole of the UK population using self-selected diets from years 1-6 of the NDNS(8) by developing a new GHGE database for all foods in the NDNS food nutrient database. GHGE data for individual foods and dishes were matched to NDNS nutritional tables. Where a GHGE value for a specific item was not available, reasonable substitute data was used based on similarities in food type and composition. Mean daily GHGE per person were estimated for all individuals in the NDNS (years 1-6). Percentage contribution of food groups to mean daily GHGE was calculated using the NDNS food groups. Statistical significance between demographic groups was tested using ANOVA and general linear model. Statistical significance level from two-sided hypotheses was set at P