Comparing the water, energy, pesticide and fertilizer usage for the production of foods consumed by different dietary types in California

卷:18

Marlow, Harold J. ; Harwatt, Helen ; Soret, Samuel ; Sabate, Joan

关键词: Food production;    Sustainable dietary patterns;   

DOI  :  10.1017/S1368980014002833

学科分类：食品科学和技术

【 摘 要 】

Objective: To compare the use of water, energy, pesticides and fertilizer to produce commodities for two dietary patterns that vary in the content of plant and animal products. Design: A unique analysis using 'real-world' data was performed, in contrast to previous analyses which applied simulated data. Consumption data from the Adventist Health Study were used to identify two dietary patterns with a markedly different consumption of several plant and animal products. State agricultural data were collected and applied to commodity production statistics. Indices were created to allow a comparison of the resource requirements for each dietary pattern. Setting: California, USA. Subjects: None. Results: The diet containing more animal products required an additional 10 252 litres of water, 9910 kJ of energy, 186 g of fertilizer and 6 g of pesticides per week in comparison to the diet containing less animal products. The greatest contribution to the difference came from the consumption of animal products, particularly beef. Conclusions: Consuming a more plant-based diet could to an extent alleviate the negative environmental impacts related to food production. As a method to feed ourselves more sustainably, behavioural adjustments appear to be a very important tool.