From the Center for Public Health Nutrition, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (AD and CDR); the Institute of Cardiometabolism and Nutrition (ICAN), Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Nutrition Department, Paris, France (AD and EOV); Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Research Unit S1166 (UMR S 1166), Nutriomics team, Paris, France (EOV); Nutrition Department, Danone Research, Palaiseau, France (AM and EOV); AgroParisTech and Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Centre de Recherche en Nutrition Humaine (CRNH) de l'ile de France, Unité de Recherche 914 (UMR 914) Nutrition Physiology and Ingestive Behavior, Paris, France (EOV); and the Groupe Casino, Saint-Etienne Cedex 2, France (MV and PI).
Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Jan;101(1):184-91. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.114.092486. Epub 2014 Nov 5.
A carbon footprint is the sum of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs) associated with food production, processing, transporting, and retailing.
We examined the relation between the energy and nutrient content of foods and associated GHGEs as expressed as g CO2 equivalents.
GHGE values, which were calculated and provided by a French supermarket chain, were merged with the Composition Nutritionnelle des Aliments (French food-composition table) nutrient-composition data for 483 foods and beverages from the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety. Foods were aggregated into 34 food categories and 5 major food groups as follows: meat and meat products, milk and dairy products, frozen and processed fruit and vegetables, grains, and sweets. Energy density was expressed as kcal/100 g. Nutrient density was determined by using 2 alternative nutrient-density scores, each based on the sum of the percentage of daily values for 6 or 15 nutrients, respectively. The energy and nutrient densities of foods were linked to log-transformed GHGE values expressed per 100 g or 100 kcal.
Grains and sweets had lowest GHGEs (per 100 g and 100 kcal) but had high energy density and a low nutrient content. The more-nutrient-dense animal products, including meat and dairy, had higher GHGE values per 100 g but much lower values per 100 kcal. In general, a higher nutrient density of foods was associated with higher GHGEs per 100 kcal, although the slopes of fitted lines varied for meat and dairy compared with fats and sweets.
Considerations of the environmental impact of foods need to be linked to concerns about nutrient density and health. The point at which the higher carbon footprint of some nutrient-dense foods is offset by their higher nutritional value is a priority area for additional research.
碳足迹是与食品生产、加工、运输和零售相关的温室气体排放（GHGEs）的总和。
我们研究了食物的能量和营养成分与以克二氧化碳当量表示的相关 GHGE 之间的关系。
GHGE 值由一家法国连锁超市计算并提供，与法国食品、环境和职业健康安全局的 Composition Nutritionnelle des Aliments（法国食品成分表）营养成分数据合并。将 483 种食品和饮料分为 34 种食品类别和 5 大食品组，分别为：肉类和肉类产品、牛奶和奶制品、冷冻和加工水果和蔬菜、谷物和甜食。能量密度表示为每 100 克千卡。使用 2 种替代的营养密度评分来确定营养密度，每种评分分别基于 6 种或 15 种营养素的日值总和。食品的能量和营养密度与以每 100 克或每 100 千卡表示的对数转换的 GHGE 值相关联。
谷物和甜食的 GHGEs（每 100 克和每 100 千卡）最低，但能量密度高，营养成分低。更有营养的动物产品，包括肉类和奶制品，每 100 克的 GHGE 值较高，但每 100 千卡的数值较低。一般来说，食物的营养密度越高，每 100 千卡的 GHGEs 就越高，尽管与脂肪和甜食相比，肉类和奶制品的拟合线斜率有所不同。
需要将食品的环境影响考虑与营养密度和健康问题联系起来。一些营养密集型食品的较高碳足迹被其较高营养价值所抵消的临界点是进一步研究的重点领域。
