1. Quantifying Environmental Impacts of Diets

2. Global Food
System
Dietary Guidelines
Food Subsidy
Program

5. Crop Uses
Nature, Foley et al. 2011
36% Calorie production used for animal
feed

6. Million calories per hectare

7. food
feed
biofuels
Calories
delivered to
people
Calories available in food system
Calories “lost”
Maize
~10 %
conversion
efficiency

8. Cassidyet al.Submitted

9. 59% Calories produced become food

10. Cassidyet al.Submitted
67% Calorie production used for animal
feed

11. Cassidyet al.Submitted
34% Calories produced become food

12. Source: FAO Food Balance Shee

13. What’s recommended?
~0.7 grams / kilogram
90 kilogram person (200 lbs)
63 grams per day = 23 kilograms per year
Dietary Reference Intakes: The Essential Guide to
Nutrient Requirements:

14. Source: FAO Food Balance Shee
23 kg per person yr-
1

15. Hyperpenelopereddit

16. Land Requirements
Tons per grid-cellTons of maize

17. Vegetal vs. Animal
A.F. Bouwman et al. / Agricultural Systems 84 (2005) 121–153

19. Square meters per 100 grams produced
Land Requirements

20. Water footprints
Hoekstra et al, Water Footprints
Hoekstra, A. Y. &Mekonnen, M. M. (2012) The water footprint of huma
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109, 3232-3237

21. Greenhouse gas emissions
Agriculture accounts for 19%–29% of total global
anthropogenic GHG emissions.
Of this, the production stage contributes 80%–86% of
emissions at the global level
Vermeulen, S., Campbell, B. M., & Ingram, J. S. (2012). Climate Change a
Systems. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 37(1).

22. Greenhouse gas emissions
Kg Nitrogen application per ton maize produced
1% Nitrogen applied becomes N2O (according to IPCC)Nitrous Oxides (N2O) = 310x Global Warming potential CO2

23. Greenhouse gas emissions
Enteric
Fermentation
Methane (CH4) = 21x Global Warming potential of CO2

24. Greenhouse gas emissions
1992 2008Image: NASA

25. Greenhouse gas emissions
Grams GHGs per100 grams produced

26. Source: FAO STAT
Meat = 15%
30%
14%
14%
13%
7%
5%
6%
4%

27. Meat = 44%
26%
44%

28. 29%
Meat = 47%

29. Meat = 64%
56%

30. How will guidelines impact environmental footprints?

31. Source: FAO Food Balance Shee
23 kg per person yr-
1

32. U.S. Guidelines diet shift
123 kg per
person per year
30 kg
per person
per year
93kgs of fruits,
veggies, pulses
and cereals
(75% reduction meat)

33. Diet shifts
Average US diet, 2008 75% reduction meat 75% reduction meat,
no beef

34. Diet shifts
Average US diet, 2008 2008 meat
consumptio
n, no beef
75% reduction meat 75% reduction meat,
no beef

35. Nutrition Guidance in Reality
Discovery’s Vitality
Healthy Food Benefit

36. Data
Purchase weights of foods
>240,000 participants

37. Sturm et al. 2013

38. • An increase in the ratio of fruit and vegetables to total food
expenditure by 5.7% - 8.5% (dependent on subsidy);
• and a decrease in the ratio of less desirable to total food
expenditure by 5.6% - 7.2%
Healthy Food Purchases

39. Preliminary Results of Purchase Weights

40. Preliminary Results of Purchase Weights
• 16% decrease in the proportion of beef purchase weight;
• 10% decrease in the proportion of pork purchase weight;
• 5.4% increase in proportional vegetable purchases;
• 8.8% increase in proportional fruit purchase weight;

41. • ~8 - 13% decrease in land requirements
• ~7 - 12% decrease in water footprint
• ~8 - 10% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions
Healthy Food Purchases
Preliminary Results of Purchase Weights

43. EarthStat.org

44. Thanks!
@Cassidy_Emily (Twitter)