TY - JOUR

T1 - Scenarios for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Food Procurement for Public School Kitchens in Copenhagen

AU - Prag, Adam Addis

AU - Abrahams, Julie Bangsgaard

AU - Daniele, Filippo

AU - Dodhia, Maya S.

AU - Feng, Chujie

AU - Hahn, Kevin

AU - Kristiansen, Steffen

AU - Leitner, Anna Maria

AU - Mendez, Jordi Pedra

AU - Mohr, Marcel

AU - Møller, Sofie Fønsskov

AU - Svensson, Simon Yde

AU - Talbot, Kea Lena Permin

AU - Tomulescu, Ilie

AU - Valachova, Barbora

AU - Zahra, Fatimah

AU - Lysák, Marin

AU - Henriksen, Christian Bugge

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - The food system is responsible for a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, with the majority originating from livestock. Reducing our meat consumption is thus an important part of achieving necessary reductions in emissions, and reaching children is especially important to facilitate long-lasting changes in dietary habits now and into the future. This study developed dietary scenarios for three public schools in Copenhagen, which were used as cases to demonstrate reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from public kitchens. The scenarios included (i) replacement of all beef with poultry, (ii) replacement of all meat and fish with legumes, and (iii) alignment of food procurement to the Danish Food Based Dietary Guidelines based on the Planetary Health Diet. The effects on emissions were calculated using three different LCA databases. The results showed reductions ranging from 32 to 64% depending on the scenario, the current meal plan at the case school, and the emission factors used. Not surprisingly, the vegetarian scenario resulted in the highest reductions and replacing beef resulted in the lowest. Adhering to the national guidelines will result in reductions in emissions of 39–48%. Significant variability in the results existed between the three databases, highlighting the importance of basic understanding of LCA for kitchens interested in estimating and reducing their carbon footprint while at the same time providing justification for applying multiple LCA databases for increasing robustness.

AB - The food system is responsible for a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, with the majority originating from livestock. Reducing our meat consumption is thus an important part of achieving necessary reductions in emissions, and reaching children is especially important to facilitate long-lasting changes in dietary habits now and into the future. This study developed dietary scenarios for three public schools in Copenhagen, which were used as cases to demonstrate reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from public kitchens. The scenarios included (i) replacement of all beef with poultry, (ii) replacement of all meat and fish with legumes, and (iii) alignment of food procurement to the Danish Food Based Dietary Guidelines based on the Planetary Health Diet. The effects on emissions were calculated using three different LCA databases. The results showed reductions ranging from 32 to 64% depending on the scenario, the current meal plan at the case school, and the emission factors used. Not surprisingly, the vegetarian scenario resulted in the highest reductions and replacing beef resulted in the lowest. Adhering to the national guidelines will result in reductions in emissions of 39–48%. Significant variability in the results existed between the three databases, highlighting the importance of basic understanding of LCA for kitchens interested in estimating and reducing their carbon footprint while at the same time providing justification for applying multiple LCA databases for increasing robustness.

KW - climate impact of food

KW - climate-friendly diet

KW - plant-rich diet

KW - reducing greenhouse gas emissions

KW - school meals

KW - sustainable food

U2 - 10.3390/su151713002

DO - 10.3390/su151713002

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85170391553

VL - 15

JO - Sustainability

JF - Sustainability

SN - 2071-1050

IS - 17

M1 - 13002

ER -