Following the Food Consumption Footprints of Adults and the Elderly Around the World: A Systematic Review

The search for sustainable food production and consumption is increasing globally. Sustainable diets capable of promoting human and environmental health are widely promoted by governmental and nongovernmental organizations to contribute to the achievement of food and nutritional security and the health of people and the planet.

The published literature on the environmental footprint of food consumption by adults and the elderly around the world was reviewed.

A systematic search was carried out of the Web of Science, PubMed, LILACS, MedLine, and Science Direct databases. Review studies, studies with theoretical diets, scenario studies without presenting the current diet, and projections were excluded.

The inclusion criteria were population-based studies that quantified the environmental footprints of food consumption by adults and the elderly. The main characteristics of the study and the risk of bias were extracted independently by 2 researchers.

A total of 3243 articles were obtained, of which 30 were included for synthesis according to the established eligibility criteria. The primary environmental footprints of consumption by adults and the elderly were carbon, water, land use, and energy. Adult men had higher environmental footprints than the other groups. There is no standardization in the data sources used to measure footprints, and the boundary of the food system considered in the analysis was generally from primary production to retail. Studies that considered the stages of food preparation and food waste in households obtained higher footprint values but presented more significant challenges in their realization.

The findings of this research demonstrate the challenges and possibilities in the field of research into the environmental footprint of food consumption and the relevance of this portrait in the quest to promote healthy and sustainable food systems.