Department of Nutrition, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Women and Public Policy Program, John F Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2022 Nov;116(5):1265-1277. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqac220. Epub 2023 Feb 10.
In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), historical shifts away from traditional, plant-sourced food production and consumption patterns may undermine both nutritional status and environmental sustainability. Although agricultural intensification and increasingly animal-centric dietary preferences in the region are well-documented, their influence on environmental degradation remains unknown.
This study aimed to 1) characterize the environmental impacts of current food consumption patterns in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean; and 2) identify food groups that minimize impact while maintaining adequate nutrient availability.
Apparent regional food consumption was derived using data from the FAO's Food Balance Sheets on per capita food availability and levels of imported and local food production. Region-specific life cycle assessment data on greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs), land use, and freshwater consumption were leveraged to estimate total, food group-level, and nutrient-specific environmental impacts.
Annual overall GHGEs were highest in Caribbean food consumption patterns (2521.2 kg/capita), largely derived from meat (26.7%) and fruit (23.8%) production. Land use (1941.0 m/capita) and water consumption (2060.8 m/capita), in contrast, were highest for the South American pattern, owing to high consumption of meat and dairy. Across the regions, meat constituted 7.5%-12.7% of food consumption yet accounted for as much as 73.1% of GHGEs, 56.6% of land use, and 54.2% of water consumption. In contrast, legumes and seeds, cereals, roots, and vegetables demonstrated overall low environmental impacts, particularly relative to their contributions to dietary protein, iron, and zinc availability.
Findings point to the capacity of plant-sourced food consumption to minimize environmental harm without necessarily jeopardizing nutrient availability in LAC. Local agriculture can contribute to food system sustainability by producing diversified plant-sourced foods, cornerstones of many traditional food customs, and mitigating the impacts of industrialized livestock operations and imported, animal-centric dietary habits.
在拉丁美洲和加勒比地区（LAC），传统的植物性食物生产和消费模式的历史性转变可能会破坏营养状况和环境可持续性。尽管该地区的农业集约化和日益以动物为中心的饮食偏好已有充分记录，但它们对环境退化的影响尚不清楚。
本研究旨在：1）描述南美洲、中美洲和加勒比地区当前食物消费模式的环境影响；2）确定在维持足够营养供应的同时最大限度减少影响的食物组。
使用粮农组织食品平衡表中关于人均食物供应和进口及本地食物产量的数据，得出明显的区域食物消费情况。利用关于温室气体排放（GHGE）、土地利用和淡水消耗的特定区域生命周期评估数据，估算总、食物组和营养素特定的环境影响。
加勒比地区食物消费模式的年总 GHGE 最高（2521.2kg/人），主要来自肉类（26.7%）和水果（23.8%）的生产。相比之下，南美的土地利用（1941.0m/人）和水消耗（2060.8m/人）最高，这是由于肉类和奶制品的高消费。在所有地区，肉类占食物消费的 7.5%-12.7%，但 GHGE 的贡献率高达 73.1%，土地利用的贡献率为 56.6%，水消耗的贡献率为 54.2%。相比之下，豆类和种子、谷物、根茎和蔬菜总体上对环境的影响较小，尤其是与它们对膳食蛋白质、铁和锌供应的贡献相比。
研究结果表明，在不影响拉丁美洲和加勒比地区营养供应的情况下，植物性食物消费有能力最小化环境危害。当地农业可以通过生产多样化的植物性食物来为粮食系统的可持续性做出贡献，这些食物是许多传统食物习俗的基石，并减轻工业化畜牧业和进口、以动物为中心的饮食习惯的影响。
