Exploring the environmental impact associated with the abandonment of the Mediterranean Diet, and how to reduce it with alternative sustainable diets

Abstract

This paper estimates the environmental impact of different diets and explores how changes in the diet composition can reduce Carbon Footprint and Ecological Footprint, meanwhile ensuring that diets are nutritionally adequate, culturally acceptable for consumers, and affordable form an economic standpoint. Focusing on Italy as one of the main Mediterranean countries, the paper develops a Sustainable Diet Model to explore the environmental impact of different diets. The results indicate that the reduction of diet-related environmental impact can be achieved also without complete exclusion of animal-based products and provide novel insights for future policies geared at promoting sustainable food consumption and at achieving international sustainability goals.