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Environmental Sustainability of Food Consumption in Asia

Author

Listed:
  • Biraj Adhikari

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand
    Department of Planning, Aalborg University, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark
    Institute for Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Barcelona, Spain)

  • Trakarn Prapaspongsa

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand)

Abstract

This study assesses the environmental sustainability of food consumption in Thailand, India, China, Japan, and Saudi Arabia by using a life cycle assessment. These five Asian countries were selected according to the differences in surface area, population density, GDP, and food consumption patterns. The data were obtained from Food and Agriculture Organization food balance sheets, Ecoinvent 3.4 and Agri-footprint 4.0 databases, and scientific publications. The environmental impact categories chosen were global warming, terrestrial acidification, eutrophication, eco-toxicity, human toxicity, and fossil resource scarcity. The impact assessment was carried out by using the ReCiPe2006 v1.1 method. Based on the analysis, the highest environmental impacts for all categories (except eutrophication) were from the food consumption in China, followed by the consumption in Japan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and India. The major contributors to these impacts were meat, cereals, animal products, and alcoholic beverages. Meat was the highest contributor in all countries except India, because of low meat consumption in India. A calorie intake analysis was also conducted, which showed reductions in environmental impacts by shifting towards calorie-adequate and non-environmentally intensive diets in Thailand, China, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. Therefore, a reduction in the consumption of meat, cereals, animal products, and alcoholic beverages could therefore enhance the environmental sustainability of food consumption.

Suggested Citation

  • Biraj Adhikari & Trakarn Prapaspongsa, 2019. "Environmental Sustainability of Food Consumption in Asia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-14, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:20:p:5749-:d:277434
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sukallaya Kasem & Gopal B. Thapa, 2012. "Sustainable development policies and achievements in the context of the agriculture sector in Thailand," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 20(2), pages 98-114, March.
    2. David Tilman & Michael Clark, 2014. "Global diets link environmental sustainability and human health," Nature, Nature, vol. 515(7528), pages 518-522, November.
    3. Lewis Akenji & Magnus Bengtsson, 2014. "Making Sustainable Consumption and Production the Core of Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-17, January.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Yang, Shaowen & Wang, Ping & Fu, Zhaogang, 2023. "Resources Integration Theory and Gray Correlation Analysis: A Study for Evaluating China's Agri-food Systems Supply Capacity," Research on World Agricultural Economy, Nan Yang Academy of Sciences Pte Ltd (NASS), vol. 4(3), September.
    3. Yi-Wen Chiu, 2019. "Environmental Implications of Taiwanese Oolong Tea and the Opportunities of Impact Reduction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-13, October.

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