Dietary emissions patterns and their effect on the overall climatic impact of food consumption

Food consumption is responsible for a considerable proportion of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE). This study aimed to determine whether different dietary emission patterns (EPs) are evident in the Irish population. Respondents of the national nutritional survey were segmented using cluster analysis based on GHGE generated from food groups; thereby profiling similarities in how emissions were attained. Three distinct EPs were observed: Unsustainable, Culturally Sustainable, and Nutritionally Sustainable. The Unsustainable pattern had a significantly greater climatic impact; generating significantly higher emissions from processed meat, alcohol, carbonated beverages and savoury snacks, but significantly lower emissions from dairy.Total GHGE did not differ significantly between the Culturally Sustainable and the Nutritionally Sustainable despite the latter deriving significantly lower emissions from red meat. Nevertheless, the Nutritionally Sustainable pattern adhered to more dietary guidelines than other EPs. The results imply that policy instruments should be holistic in naturerather than concentrating on individual food groups.