Researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil-who are credited with focusing attention on the serious health risks related to the consumption of ultra-processed foods-have come to show how they are also problematic from an environmental perspective, in terms of water footprint and carbon footprint. (1)
The sustainability of food systems comes up again in terms of ESG(Environmental, Social and Governance) and due diligence. Having regard to the challenges of the Sustainable Development Goals (#sdgs2030) which also address climate change and water conservation, as well as the health and well-being of populations.
Ultraprocessed foods and public health
The scientific bibliography is uniform in attributing to ultra-processed foods with deteriorating nutritional profiles – HFSS(High in Fats, Sugar and Sodium), or junk-foods – a decisive role in the prevalence of overweight, obesity and malnutrition, serious and chronic diseases(Non-Communicable Diseases, NCDs. See note 2).
Ultra-processed foods have therefore been referred to-in a recent appeal by the international scientific community to the UN (Monteiro et al., 2021) published in the British Medical Journal-as the worst health hazard for the world’s populations. The epitome of the double burden of malnutrition, where excesses are accompanied by deficiencies in nutrients and micronutrients essential to health. (3)
ESG, due diligence, deforestation
The commodities underlying ultra-processed foods-from palm oil (4) to GMO soybeans and meats from the Americas-are themselves the subject of increasing attention in ESG(Environmental, Social and Governance) perspectives and due diligence, deforestation. Investors and legislators are beginning to demand accountability for imports and the use of socio-environmentally unsustainable commodities.
On 23.2.22 , the European Commission-following up on a special initiative of the Strasbourg Assembly (5)-adopted, among other things, a proposal for a directive on due diligence, with the specific aim of promoting the responsibility and sustainability of operators in global value chains. (6) In line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. (7)
Ultraprocessed foods, carbon foot print and water footprint. The study in Brazil
The study under review (Fellegger Garzillo et al., 2022) focused on the correlations between the consumption of ultra-processed foods in Brazil and their carbon and water footprints through cross-sectional analysis of data collected in 2008-2009 on a probability sample of 32,886 individuals aged 10 years and older. Intakes of individual foods were processed on the basis of two daily (24-hour) dietary records on non-consecutive days).
The environmental impact of individual diets was calculated through the carbon footprint-or carbon footprint, that is, atmospheric emissions of greenhouse gases (in grams of CO2-equivalent)-and the water footprint (in liters of fresh water) of individual foods (per gram and liter). According to an approach that considers the entire life cycle of products, from extraction of raw materials to final disposal(Life Cycle Assessment, LCA).
Classification of foods and their environmental impact
Foods were classified based on the NOVA 4 system: unprocessed or minimally processed foods, kitchen ingredients, processed foods, and ultra-processed foods. And a linear association emerged between the contribution of the ultra-processed food group and carbon footprint and water footprint, even as a result of adjustments for sociodemographic variables (age, income, education, region of residence).
The proportion of energy consumption from ultra-processed foods to total energy consumption was then identified as a significant variable. This proportion varies in relation to the diet of populations, where Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs) are currently estimated to express about 60 percent of average energy intake in the U.S., between 24.4 percent and 36 percent in Europe (Bonacci et al., 2021. See footnote 8).
Interim conclusions
Research from the University of São Paulo has identified for the first time in Brazil the negative impact of ultra-processed foods on the environment as well as on public health. Further studies may confirm these findings in other countries and offer additional insights to strengthen dietary recommendations to abstain from or otherwise minimize the amount and frequency of consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs).
NutriScore
– the most widely used synthetic nutrition labeling system in the Old Continent-has been updated, as of December 2021, with a proposal to add a black outline suitable for identifying ultra-processed foods at a glance. (9) This will provide consumers with an additional signal to recognize this category of products, without losing sight of their nutritional profiles.
Dario Dongo, with the collaboration of Isis Consuelo Sanlucar Cirinos.
Notes
(1) Josefa Maria Fellegger Garzillo, Vanessa Fadanelli Schoenardie Poli, Fernanda Helena Marrocos Leite, Euridice Martinez Steele, Priscila Pereira Machado, Maria Laura da Costa Louzada, Renata Bertazzi Levy, Carlos Augusto Monteiro (2022). Ultra-processed food intake and dietary carbon and water footprints: a national study in Brazil. Rev. Saúde Pública vol.56 São Paulo 2022 Epub 18-Feb-2022. Full text accessible at http://www.rsp.fsp.usp.br/wp-content/plugins/xml-to-html/include/lens/index.php?xml=1518-8787-rsp-56-6.xml&lang=en
(2) Dario Dongo. Diet, health, and ultraprocessed foods. The FAO report. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 2.9.19, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/salute/dieta-salute-e-alimenti-ultraprocessati-il-rapporto-fao
(3) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. Ultraprocessed foods, the worst evil. Appeal by scientists in the British Medical Journal. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 16.8.21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/progresso/alimenti-ultraprocessati-il-peggior-male-appello-degli-scienziati-sul-british-medical-journal
(4) Dario Dongo, Elena Bosani. Land robbery, palm oil tops the list. Due diligence risks, ESG. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 11/21/21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/idee/rapine-delle-terre-olio-di-palma-in-cima-alla-lista-i-rischi-due-diligence-esg
(5) Dario Dongo. Due diligence, the EU draft directive on socio-environmental responsibilities in the value chain. GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade). 27.7.21,
https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/progresso/due-diligence-il-progetto-di-direttiva-ue-sulle-responsabilità-socio-ambientali-nella-catena-del-valore
(6) European Commission. Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and the Council on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence and amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937. COM(2022) 71 final. https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files/1_1_183885_prop_dir_susta_en.pdf
(7) It is useful to note how 94 economic operators in the EU urged the adoption of the proposed directive on Mandatory Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) on 8.2.22, making demands that went beyond what the European Commission later proposed. V. https://media.business-humanrights.org/media/documents/EU_Business_Statement_February2022.pdf
(8) Marialaura Bonaccio, Augusto Di Castelnuovo, Simona Costanzo, Amalia De Curtis, Mariarosaria Persichillo, Francesco Sofi, Chiara Cerletti, Maria Bendetta Donati, Giovanni de Gaetano, Licia Iacoviello (2021). Ultra-processed food consumption is associated with increased risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in the Moli-sani Study. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 113:446-445, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqaa299
(9) Dario Dongo. NutriScore, signal on ultra-processed foods is added. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 12/21/21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/etichette/nutriscore-si-aggiunge-il-segnale-sui-cibi-ultraprocessati
(10) Dario Dongo, Giulia Caddeo. Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs. The challenge of humanity. Égalité. 5.9.19, https://www.egalite.org/sustainable-development-goals-sdgs-la-sfida-dellumanita/
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
