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Contribution of healthy and unhealthy primary school meals to greenhouse gas emissions in England: linking nutritional data and greenhouse gas emission data of diets.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES:School meals represent the largest sector in Government food procurement in the United Kingdom. This paper aims to quantify, simultaneously, the nutritional quality and carbon footprint of meals provided by primary schools in England. SUBJECTS/METHODS:The School Food Trust conducted the 'Primary School Food Survey 2009' in a nationally representative sample of 139 primary schools in England. The survey included 6690 students who consumed school lunches and 3488 students who brought packed lunches. We estimated the total greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs) per Kg of the food items contributing to those lunches based on the results of a systematic review of life-cycle analyses. RESULTS:In both school lunches and packed lunches, the 'meat, fish and alternatives' group contributed the largest share of GHGEs. The mean GHGE value per school lunch was estimated to be 0.72 (95% uncertainty interval 0.52-1.34) KgCO2e and per packed lunch was 0.70 (0.58-0.94) KgCO2e. The total GHGE due to primary school meals in England per year is 578.1 million KgCO2e (455-892 million). CONCLUSIONS:If all children achieved a healthy meal defined by having a low level of salt, free sugars and saturated fat, the total GHGEs from primary school meals would be 441.2 million KgCO2e (384-1192), saving 136.9 million KgCO2e compared with the current total emissions from primary school meals. This paper demonstrates that changes in the primary school food sector can have an impact on UK GHGEs.

SUBMITTER: Wickramasinghe KK

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5040506 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Contribution of healthy and unhealthy primary school meals to greenhouse gas emissions in England: linking nutritional data and greenhouse gas emission data of diets.

Wickramasinghe K K KK Rayner M M Goldacre M M Townsend N N Scarborough P P

European journal of clinical nutrition 20160622 10

<h4>Background/objectives</h4>School meals represent the largest sector in Government food procurement in the United Kingdom. This paper aims to quantify, simultaneously, the nutritional quality and carbon footprint of meals provided by primary schools in England.<h4>Subjects/methods</h4>The School Food Trust conducted the 'Primary School Food Survey 2009' in a nationally representative sample of 139 primary schools in England. The survey included 6690 students who consumed school lunches and 34 ...[more]

PMID: 27329613

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Project description:BackgroundFood production accounts for 30% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Less environmentally sustainable diets are also often more processed, energy-dense and nutrient-poor. To date, the environmental impact of diets have mostly been based on a limited number of broad food groups.ObjectivesWe link GHG emissions to over 3000 foods, assessing associations between individuals' GHG emissions, their nutrient requirements and their demographic characteristics. We also identify additional information required in dietary assessment to generate more accurate environmental impact data for individual-level diets.MethodsGHG emissions of individual foods, including process stages prior to retail, were added to the UK Composition Of Foods Integrated Dataset (COFID) composition tables and linked to automated online dietary assessment for 212 adults over three 24-hour periods. Variations in GHG emissions were explored by dietary pattern, demographic characteristics and World Health Organization Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNIs).ResultsGHG emissions estimates were linked to 98% (n = 3233) of food items. Meat explained 32% of diet-related GHG emissions; 15% from drinks; 14% from dairy; and 8% from cakes, biscuits and confectionery. Non-vegetarian diets had GHG emissions 59% (95% CI 18%, 115%) higher than vegetarian. Men had 41% (20%, 64%) higher GHG emissions than women. Individuals meeting RNIs for saturated fats, carbohydrates and sodium had lower GHG emissions compared to those exceeding the RNI.DiscussionPolicies encouraging sustainable diets should focus on plant-based diets. Substituting tea, coffee and alcohol with more sustainable alternatives, whilst reducing less nutritious sweet snacks, presents further opportunities. Healthier diets had lower GHG emissions, demonstrating consistency between planetary and personal health. Further detail could be gained from incorporating brand, production methods, post-retail emissions, country of origin, and additional environmental impact indicators.

Dataset Information

Contribution of healthy and unhealthy primary school meals to greenhouse gas emissions in England: linking nutritional data and greenhouse gas emission data of diets.

Publications

Contribution of healthy and unhealthy primary school meals to greenhouse gas emissions in England: linking nutritional data and greenhouse gas emission data of diets.

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