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Healthy diet, healthy climate

Sinéad McCarthy, John Hyland, Maeve Henchion 

Research Impact Highlights

Industry impact: The dietary-related greenhouse gas emissions of the Irish population were calculated by combining existing information on the emission profile of individual foods with food consumption data from the National Adult Nutrition Survey. Consumers were grouped into three patterns of food consumption and resultant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and dietary behaviours were profiled. The culturally sustainable group had healthy dietary behaviours, consumed the most red meat and yet had the lowest level of food-related GHG emissions compared to the other two groups. Hence, recommendations to reduce red meat consumption may not result in lower emissions. Strategies that focus on the reduction of carbon footprint at the food production stage may have more climatic benefit than trying to change consumer food consumption behaviour. This research has been of particular relevance to Meat Technology Ireland, Meat Industry Ireland, as well as supporting Bord Bia’s Origin Green sustainability programme.

Publications arising from this research: Hyland, J.J., Henchion, M., McCarthy, M. and McCarthy, S.N. (2017). ‘The climatic impact of food consumption in a representative sample of Irish adults and implications for food and nutrition policy’. Public Health Nutrition, 20 (4): 726-738. Hyland, J.J., McCarthy, M.B., Henchion, M. and McCarthy, S.N. (2017). Dietary emissions patterns and their effect on the overall climatic impact of food consumption’. International Journal of Food Science & Technology, 52 (12): 2,505-2,512. Hyland, J.J., Henchion, M., McCarthy, M. and McCarthy, S.N. (2017). ‘The role of meat in strategies to achieve a sustainable diet lower in greenhouse gas emissions: A review’. Meat Science, 132: 189-195. 

Other contributors and collaborators: Mary McCarthy, UCC. 

Funding: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.