Exploring the pathways towards the mitigation of the environmental impacts of food consumption

Agriculture constitutes a quarter and more than a third of Denmark's global greenhouses gas (GHG) emissions and natural resource consumption, respectively. This paper aims to estimate the potential to lower Denmark's global food-related GHG, blue water and land footprints using the most recent version of a hybrid global multi-regional input-output (MRIO) database, EXIOBASE of the reference year, 2011. Specifically, we apply the 'what if' scenario-based MRIO approach to EXIOBASE and quantify the impact of increased livestock feed effi-ciency (FE), dietary changes, food loss and waste (FLW) reduction/prevention and food waste treatment scenarios on Denmark's global food-related GHG and resource footprints. We obtain modest reductions in Denmark's global food-related GHG, blue water and cropland footprint from the combination of livestock FE improvements and FLW reduction; 61 kt CO(2)e, 2 Mm(3) and 30 kha, respectively. In contrast, dietary change towards no/less meat and dairy diets embodies the most significant reductions potential for Denmark's total global food-related GHG, blue water, croplands and grassland footprint by up to 34% (3.63 Mt. CO(2)e), 8% (90 Mm(3)), 23% (371 kha) and 78% (386 kha) respectively. A key policy priority should therefore be the nudging of Danish consumers towards sustainable diets. Also, this study's findings emphasise that FLW prevention remains the most effective food waste related climate mitigation and resource efficiency strategy despite the benefits of food waste valorisation. (C) 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Automated summary

Improving livestock feed efficiency and reducing food waste can lead to modest reductions in Denmark's global food-related GHG, blue water, and cropland footprints. However, the most significant reduction potential for Denmark's total global food-related GHG, blue water, croplands, and grassland footprints lies in dietary changes towards no/less meat and dairy diets. Therefore, nudging consumers towards sustainable diets should be a key policy priority.