Environmental impacts of field peas and faba beans grown in Norway and derived products, compared to other food protein sources

Abstract

Norwegian-grown peas and faba beans are a healthier alternative to meat and dairy products, which are over-consumed in Norway, hence these legumes represent an interesting alternative as food protein source in Norway. However, the environmental impact of these legumes compared to other protein sources has not been studied, in detail. Hence this study, where the environmental impact of this plant protein was analysed and compared to other main protein sources in the Norwegian diet, covers a research gap. The method used was Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and a large range of impacts was covered. The climate impact for dried grain legumes were 0.55–0.57 kg CO 2 -eq/kg, The climate impact for dried grain legumes were 0.55–0.57 kg CO 2 -eq/kg, which is much lower than ruminant meat (19–38 kg CO 2 -eq/kg), other meat (3.6–4.2 kg CO 2 -eq/kg), seafood (0.8–22 kg CO 2 -eq/kg), dairy products (1.2–22 kg CO 2 -eq/kg products) and cereals (0.66–0.72 kg CO 2 -eq/kg product). The same trend was found for all impact categories studied. The same pattern was found when comparing the environmental impacts of grain legumes in intermediate and finished products. An evaluation of the nutrient content showed that there is no trade-off between health and environment but the effect of lower protein digestibility and anti-nutritional compounds in legumes remains to be investigated quantitatively. The study indicates that legumes are a more sustainable source of dietary protein than animal protein sources. It is recommended that more research should be done on social and economic sustainability should be done to get at more complete picture of the sustainability of these grain legumes.