Sustainability diet index: a multi-criteria decision analysis proposal for culinary preparations-A case study

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Environmental Science
• Operations Research

Background:

• Growing environmental concerns necessitate integrating sustainability into food services.
• Traditional research often overlooks crucial factors like local sourcing in food sustainability assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel sustainability diet index for food services.
• To address limitations in current sustainability metrics by incorporating local consumption and other factors.
• To compare the performance of two distinct sustainable diet indices.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) for index development.
• Employed the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) for criteria prioritization.
• Applied the Interactive and Multicriteria Decision Making (TODIM) method for ranking.
• Conducted a case study in a university canteen, evaluating starters, main courses, desserts, and menus.

Main Results:

• Rankings based on sustainability dimensions provided a more comprehensive view of menu impacts.
• The developed index effectively highlighted variations in sustainability across different food menus.
• Menus featuring local ingredients and fewer animal products demonstrated higher sustainability scores.

Conclusions:

• The sustainability diet index offers a valuable tool for assessing and improving the environmental performance of food services.
• Local sourcing and reduced animal-based ingredients are key indicators of sustainable food menus.
• Future research should explore incorporating diverse food cultures, menu variations, and plant-based options.