Integration Of Environment And Nutrition In Life Cycle Assessment Of Food Items Opportunities And Challenges

This report is the outcome of a consensus-building project to agree on best practices for environmental and nutritional Life Cycle Assessment (nLCA) methodology, and identify future research needs. The project involved 30 nutritional and environmental LCA researchers from 18 countries. It focused on the assessment of food items (as opposed to meals or diets). Best practice recommendations were developed to address the intended purpose of an LCA study and related modeling approach, choice of an appropriate functional unit, assessment of nutritional value, and reporting nLCA results. An nLCA study should report the quantities of as many essential nutrients as possible and aim to provide information on the nutritional quality and/or health impacts in addition to nutrient quantities. Outstanding issues requiring further research attention include: defining a minimum number of nutrients to be considered in an nLCA study; treatment of nutrients to limit; use of nutrient indexes; further development of Impact Assessment methods; representation of nutritional changes that may occur during subsequent distribution and food preparation in cradle-to-gate nLCA studies; and communication of data uncertainty and variability. More data are required for different regions (particularly developing countries); for the processing, distribution, retail, and consumption life cycle stages; and for food loss and waste. Finally, there is a need to extend nLCA methodology for the assessment of meals and diets, to consider further how to account for the multi-functionality of food in a sustainability framework, and to set nLCA studies within the context of environmental limits. These results provide a robust basis for improving nLCA methodology and applying it to identify solutions that minimize the trade-offs between nourishing populations and safeguarding the environment.

This Handbook presents the state-of-the-art of Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) practice and provides guidance for its implementation and outlook for future work. Spotlighting sustainability analysts, managers and overall decision-makers from private and public sectors as well as experts in academia, it covers the historical background and current global context for life cycle sustainability assessment, methods and data management advancements.

This catalogue aims to improve the dissemination and outreach of FAO’s knowledge products and overall publishing programme. By providing information on its key publications in every area of FAO’s work, and catering to a range of audiences, it thereby contributes to all organizational outcomes. From statistical analysis to specialized manuals to children’s books, FAO publications cater to a diverse range of audiences. This catalogue presents a selection of FAO’s main publications, produced in 2023 or earlier, ranging from its global reports and general interest publications to numerous specialized titles. In addition to the major themes of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, it also includes thematic sections on climate change, economic and social development, and food safety and nutrition.

This discussion paper highlights the interlinkages between nutrition and the environment across various dimensions from policy to impact. It focuses on diets and food systems, which lie at the nutrition−environment nexus. The paper illustrates how dietary trends and food systems are contributing to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, as well as how that crisis is exacerbating nutrition challenges. It also presents a range of policy options and practical measures that generate co-benefits for people and the planet. Furthermore, the paper stresses the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative approaches in promoting positive change. In addition, it explores methodologies that can be used to weigh trade-offs in decision-making to help shift to sustainable solutions that support better human and planetary health. This paper is part of UN-Nutrition’s greater efforts to bridge the nutrition and environmental communities and related stakeholders that engage in food systems transformation.

This edited volume provides an innovative perspective on the future of food systems. The contributors analyse relevant issues for a sustainable and responsible food consumption and cover fundamental steps for a broader approach to the sustainability of meat-based products. The book presents several issues and solutions to engage food firms in a measurable ecological transition. Topics discussed include not only the pedagogical perspective on sustainable food consumption, the evolution of (meat-based) food production systems and the animal welfare perspective, but also the adaptation of firm’s strategies to the sustainable transition, the effects of climate change on agri-food firms’ governance structures and the evolution of consumers perceptions on meat-based products and the role of CSR labels. This book targets managers and entrepreneurs who work in the meat industry and are seeking to improve their socio-environmental performance and governance, accountants that works at the production of sustainability reports for food companies, researchers working at the cutting edge of the food and environmental fields, professionals working in the meat industry and researchers interested in the investigation of novelties in European food regulation.

The evaluation of the project “Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance (LEAP) Partnership” covered the three phases of the LEAP Partnership (2012–2021). The evaluation found that the project responded to an existing demand to advance towards a science-based benchmarking of the environmental performance of the livestock sector. The LEAP partnership was a cost-effective approach that contributed to consensus building and greater understanding of the factors influencing environmental performance by providing a neutral forum for discussion and negotiation. The evaluation provides six recommendations: i) strengthen the project’s theory of change to reflect the complexity of learning and innovation, including gender perspective; ii) strengthen the multi-stakeholder partnership governance, management and procedures; iii) strengthen collaboration with other initiatives such as the Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock (GASL) and the Global Livestock Environmental Assessment Model (GLEAM); iv) reduce the budget uncertainty through improved long-term planning and a strengthened resource mobilization strategy; v) update and improve the dissemination strategy; and vi) develop an outreach strategy with clear goals.

This catalogue aims to improve the dissemination and outreach of FAO’s knowledge products and overall publishing programme. By providing information on its key publications in every area of FAO’s work, and catering to a range of audiences, it thereby contributes to all organizational outcomes. From statistical analysis to specialized manuals to children’s books, FAO publications cater to a diverse range of audiences. This catalogue presents a selection of FAO’s main publications, produced in 2021 or earlier, ranging from its global reports and general interest publications to numerous specialized titles. In addition to the major themes of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, it also includes thematic sections on climate change, economic and social development, and food safety and nutrition