Title
Environmental and nutritional impacts of dietary changes in Spain during the COVID-19 lockdown
Date Issued
15 December 2020
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Batlle-Bayer L.
Aldaco R.
Bala A.
Puig R.
Laso J.
Margallo M.
Antó J.M.
Fullana-i-Palmer P.
Publisher(s)
Elsevier B.V.
Abstract
The COVID lockdown has affected food purchases and eating habits. In this regard, this short communication assesses the nutritional and environmental impacts of these changes during the COVID lockdown in Spain, by applying Life Cycle Assessment and an energy- and nutrient-corrected functional unit. Three environmental impacts were studied (Global Warming Potential, Blue Water Footprint and Land Use) and a total of seven weekly diet scenarios were designed: two pre-COVID diets for March and April in 2019 (MAR19, APR19), one COVID diet (COVID) and two alternative diets, one based on the National Dietary Guidelines (NDG) and another one on the Planetary Health Diet (PHD). Results show that the COVID diet had larger energy intake and lower nutritional quality, as well as higher environmental impacts (between 30 and 36%) than the pre-COVID eating patterns. Further research is needed to account for food affordability within this assessment, as well as to analyze how eating patterns will evolve after the COVID lockdown. Finally, the definition of short guidelines for sustainable food behaviors for future possible lockdowns is suggested, as well as the introduction of sustainable indicators within NDGs.
Volume
748
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Epidemiología Ciencias del medio ambiente Nutrición, Dietética
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85089343713
PubMed ID
Source
Science of the Total Environment
ISSN of the container
00489697
Sponsor(s)
The authors are grateful for the funding of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Competitiveness through the CERES-PROCON Project CTM2016-76176 (AEI/FEDER, UE) and the KAIROS-BIOCIR Project PID2019-104925RB (AEO/FEDER, UE). The authors are responsible for the choice and presentation of information contained in this paper as well as for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit this Organization. ESCI-UPF authors also want to thank the co-funding of the Mercadona-UPF-BSM Chair in Circular Economy, during the final phase of the project and writing of this paper.
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus