Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Center for Epidemiological Research in Nutrition and Health (NUPENS), University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Public Health Nutr. 2024 Jan 4;27(1):e34. doi: 10.1017/S1368980023002975.
This study evaluated the independent and combined environmental impacts of the consumption of beef and ultra-processed foods in Brazil.
Cross-sectional study.
Brazil.
We used food purchases data from a national household budget survey conducted between July 2017 and July 2018, representing all Brazilian households. Food purchases were converted into energy, carbon footprints and water footprints. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess the association between quintiles of beef and ultra-processed foods in total energy purchases and the environmental footprints, controlling for sociodemographic variables.
Both beef and ultra-processed foods had a significant linear association with carbon and water footprints ( < 0·01) in crude and adjusted models. In the crude upper quintile of beef purchases, carbon and water footprints were 47·7 % and 30·8 % higher, respectively, compared to the lower quintile. The upper quintile of ultra-processed food purchases showed carbon and water footprints 14·4 % and 22·8 % higher, respectively, than the lower quintile. The greatest reduction in environmental footprints would occur when both beef and ultra-processed food purchases are decreased, resulting in a 21·1 % reduction in carbon footprint and a 20·0 % reduction in water footprint.
Although the environmental footprints associated with beef consumption are higher, dietary patterns with lower consumption of beef and ultra-processed foods combined showed the greatest reduction in carbon and water footprints in Brazil. The high consumption of beef and ultra-processed foods is harmful to human health, as well as to the environment; thus, their reduction is beneficial to both.
本研究评估了巴西消费牛肉和超加工食品对环境的独立和综合影响。
横断面研究。
巴西。
我们使用了 2017 年 7 月至 2018 年 7 月期间进行的一项全国家庭预算调查中的食品购买数据，该调查代表了所有巴西家庭。将食品购买量转换为能量、碳足迹和水足迹。使用多元线性回归模型评估了牛肉和超加工食品总购买量在 quintiles 与环境足迹之间的关联，同时控制了社会人口变量。
牛肉和超加工食品在粗模型和调整模型中均与碳足迹和水足迹呈显著线性关联（<0·01）。在牛肉购买量的 crude 上四分位数中，碳足迹和水足迹分别比下四分位数高 47·7%和 30·8%。超加工食品购买量的上四分位数的碳足迹和水足迹分别比下四分位数高 14·4%和 22·8%。当牛肉和超加工食品的购买量都减少时，环境足迹的降幅最大，碳足迹减少 21·1%，水足迹减少 20·0%。
尽管与牛肉消费相关的环境足迹较高，但牛肉和超加工食品消耗较低的饮食模式结合起来，可使巴西的碳足迹和水足迹最大程度地减少。减少牛肉和超加工食品的高消费对人类健康和环境都有益。
