Abstract
There is widespread interest in dietary strategies that lower environmental impacts. However, various forms of malnutrition are also widely prevalent. In a first study of its kind, we quantify the water-scarcity footprint and diet quality score of a large (>9000) population of self-selected adult daily diets. Here, we show that excessive consumption of discretionary foods—i.e., energy-dense and nutrient-poor foods high in saturated fat, added sugars and salt, and alcohol—contributes up to 36% of the water-scarcity impacts and is the primary factor differentiating healthier diets with lower water-scarcity footprint from poorer quality diets with higher water-scarcity footprint. For core food groups (fruits, vegetables, etc.), large differences in water-scarcity footprint existed between individual foods, making difficult the amendment of dietary guidelines for water-scarcity impact reduction. Very large reductions in dietary water-scarcity footprint are possible, but likely best achieved though technological change, product reformulation and procurement strategies in the agricultural and food industries.
Highlights
Water scarcity is a major global environmental concern [1,2], identified in Target 6.4 of the UnitedNations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) [3]
The need to transition toward sustainable consumption patterns, expressed in SDG 12, is important, and in this regard the food system is critically relevant, accounting for around 70% of global freshwater use [14]
Australian of adult diets, we found no impacts relationship evaluation of trade-offs
Summary
Water scarcity is a major global environmental concern [1,2], identified in Target 6.4 of the UnitedNations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) [3]. Water scarcity is a major global environmental concern [1,2], identified in Target 6.4 of the United. The need to transition toward sustainable consumption patterns, expressed in SDG 12, is important, and in this regard the food system is critically relevant, accounting for around 70% of global freshwater use [14]. An interest has emerged to identify and recommend dietary strategies that have lower environmental impacts from water use [15,16,17,18,19], as part of a movement toward sustainable diets [20,21,22]. Dietary strategies to lower environmental impacts must be nutritionally adequate [23]
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