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Finding ways to steer consumers' food choices towards vegetarian and plant-based meals is important to reduce our diets' environmental impact. This paper investigates how nudges in restaurants can be effectively used to increase sales of vegetarian and plant-based dishes. We partnered with two restaurants, which can host up to 130 guests in total and are in the same building, and we tested the effect of three nudge-based interventions on the sales of vegetarian and plant-based dishes. We found that removing the symbols for vegetarian and plant-based dishes increased the sales of those starters by 10.2 pp., and of those mains by 6.2 pp. When a low emissions symbol was added to the menu to replace the symbols for vegetarian and plant-based dishes, it did not affect sales. However, when the same nudge was made transparent through a statement explaining its purpose on the menu, the sales of those starters increased by 14.1 pp. This result suggests that nudges can be used ethically and still be effective. Overall, these findings support the use of nudges as cost-effective interventions to tackle the issue of unsustainable food consumption in the hospitality sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimates the environmental impact of different diets and explores how changes in the diet composition can reduce Carbon Footprint and Ecological Footprint, meanwhile ensuring that diets are nutritionally adequate, culturally acceptable for consumers, and affordable form an economic standpoint. Focusing on Italy as one of the main Mediterranean countries, the paper develops a Sustainable Diet Model to explore the environmental impact of different diets. The results indicate that the reduction of diet-related environmental impact can be achieved also without complete exclusion of animal-based products and provide novel insights for future policies geared at promoting sustainable food consumption and at achieving international sustainability goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how resilience capacity mediates or moderates the relationship between weather shocks and household food security based on two waves of farm household survey and satellite-based weather data in northern Ghana and applying econometric models. Results show that resilience capacity moderate or mediates the negative effects of heat stress and drought on food security. However, the mediating role of resilience capacity in the shock-food security nexus is more stable and stronger than its moderating role. A standard deviation (SD) increase in heat stress reduces household food consumption by 0.71 SD, but resilience capacity effectively moderates this effect by approximately 0.61 SD. For drought, household food consumption is reduced by 0.67 SD, but resilience capacity effectively dampens this negative effect by approximately 0.60 SD. The mediation results, on the other hand, indicate that 537% of the total effect of heat stress on household calorie consumption is explained by the indirect effect through resilience capacity. Similarly, resilience capacity mediates about 74% of the total effect of heat stress on household food consumption. These results suggest that strategies that help improve resilience capacity, such as the adoption of sustainable intensification practices, are critical in enhancing food security in northern Ghana. • Weather shocks, proxied by heat stress and drought, are found to reduce food security. • Heat stress cause stronger adverse effects on food security than drought does. • Resilience capacity mediates substantial shares of the total effects of heat stress and drought. • The shock-dampening effect of resilience capacity is stable for heat stress than for drought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the role of use of community-managed forests as a means of improving economic well-being of rural Nepalese households. It utilizes a nationwide survey consisting of detailed questionnaires related to household welfare and employs instrumental variable (IV) approach to investigate the linkage between community-managed forests and food consumption in Nepal. Results show that households that use community-managed forests for firewood spend significantly more on food consumption than those dependent on government-managed forests. The study further finds that community-managed forest users appear to be more participatory and are more likely to find their food consumption adequate. Together, these results provide compelling evidence that community-managed forests can be an effective means of addressing food insecurity in a developing country setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in human diets hold significant greenhouse gas emissions mitigation potential. In this paper, we use a field experiment to analyze the effects of implementing a label with greenhouse gas emission information for each dish at a restaurant. The traffic-light colored label was implemented in a student catering facility with 300–600 servings every day, and covered all seven dishes on offer. Individual level sales data including an anonymous identification number, gender, and age was collected both during the label phase and during a five-week control phase prior to the introduction of the label. We found that sales of green labeled (low emission) meat dishes increased by 11.5% compared to the control phase, whereas sales of red labeled meat dishes were reduced by 4.8%. Although the label had an effect on consumer behavior, emissions decreased modestly by 3.6%. We did not find evidence for different reactions to the label based on gender or age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collective food buying groups, such as community supported agriculture or self-organised citizen groups for delivery of food baskets, have emerged throughout the world as an important niche innovation for promoting more sustainable agri-food systems. These initiatives seek to bring about societal change. They do so, however, not through protest or interest-based lobbying, but by organising a protected space for learning and experimentation with lifestyle changes for sustainable food consumption and production practices. In particular, they aim to promote social learning on a broad set of sustainability values, beyond a focus on “fresh and healthy food” only, which characterizes many of the individual consumer oriented local food chain initiatives. This paper analyses the governance features of such local food buying groups by comparing 104 groups in five cities in Belgium. We find that the social networking activities of these groups, as compared to the social enterprise activities, have led to establish specific governance mechanisms. Whereas the main focus of the social enterprise activities is the organisation of the food provisioning logistics, the focus of the social network activities is the sharing of resources with other sustainable food initiatives, dissemination of information and broader discussion on sustainability issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence of an unequal exchange between rich and poor countries has been well studied in the literature, explained by differences in labour costs that were reflected in the prices of traded goods. Research has also demonstrated that the failure to include environmental impacts in prices of traded goods concealed an ecologically unequal exchange. This paper contributes to the discussion with the newly coined concept of caloric unequal exchange that defines the deterioration of terms of trade in food in units of calories. Exports and imports to and from Latin America and the Caribbean are analysed for the period 1961 through 2011 in volume, value, and calories, for different groups of products. The study concludes that although calories exported by the region to the rest of the world are more expensive than those imported, the ratio is deteriorating over time. This trend is found to be dependent of the trading partner involved. The region is helping the rest of the world in supplying their diets at a lower cost. A side result is that globalisation is homogenising diets over time, concentrating most food consumption in a reduced number of products, and therefore increasing interdependency among countries and affecting food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tackling the overconsumption of discretionary foods (foods and drinks not necessary to provide the nutrients the body needs) is central to aligning human and planetary health. Whilst the adverse health impacts of discretionary foods are well documented, the environmental and broader sustainability impacts of these products deserve more attention, especially since their consumption has been increasing in recent decades, particularly amongst low income groups. This paper presents a quantitative case study analysis of discretionary food consumption and the associated environmental impacts for households from different income groups in Australia. Environmentally extended input-output analysis is used to estimate the full life cycle environmental impacts of discretionary food consumption on the basis of household expenditures. On average, discretionary foods account for a significant 35%, 39%, 33% and 35% of the overall diet-related life cycle water use, energy use, carbon dioxide equivalent and land use respectively. These significant percentages provide further support for the need to incentivise diets that are both healthier and more sustainable, including ‘divestment’ from discretionary food products. The study highlights the challenges ahead, including the need for further research on food substitutions to minimise environmental and social impacts whilst maximising nutritional quality – especially amongst poorer socioeconomic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing single-use plastic consumption in the food and beverage industry has become increasingly important to policymakers as non-recycled plastic waste escapes into ecosystems. Plastic waste may pose direct and indirect threats to human, animal, and ecosystem health. In this paper we examine how warning labels on plastic packaging affects consumer valuation for packaged food products. Using a choice experiment with a difference-in-difference design, we investigate whether putting warning labels on plastic egg crates reduces consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for plastic packaging. Our results reveal that warning labels are effective at reducing consumers' WTP for plastics. Compared with pulp-based packaging, we estimate that plastic warning labels reduce WTP for clear plastic packaging on average by $1.02, and decreased WTP for plastic-based foam by $0.51. However, the effectiveness of the warning label depends on the information content of the warning. While labels warning against the negative impacts of plastic on health, the environment, and safety all reduced WTP for plastic, respondents in the health label treatment reduced their WTP by the largest amount. Additionally, we find that consumers without pro-environment and pro-health attitudes also reduced their WTP for plastics after exposure to the plastic warning label. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses input–output analysis to model the environmental impacts of the weekly food consumption of Australia's households sorted by income quintile in 2003. We found that weekly food consumption of the relatively better off households caused greater environmental burden than that of the less well-off household. Meat and bakery products/flour/cereals were the categories that contributed the largest share of environmental impacts in an average household's food consumption footprint: 58% water, 26% energy, 29% CO 2 , and 31% wasted materials. Per dollar spent, fruit and vegetables generated 0.0874 m 3 of water, 0.0055 GJ of energy, 0.37 kg of CO 2 , and 0.0114 kg of wasted materials. This was lower than the per dollar impacts of bakery products (0.8482, 0.0067, 0.63, 0.0204), meat (0.3471, 0.0070, 0.65, 0.0203), dairy (0.0995, 0.0114, 0.98, 0.0192), and edible fats (0.2373, 0.0080, 0.70, 0.0165). Eating out and fast food consumption also had a low per dollar impact (0.1317, 0.0046, 0.38, 0.0141). We surmise that substituting fruit and vegetables at the expense of animal products, processed foods, and fats would decrease environmental impacts. Change at low income levels should be focused upon meat, bakery and dairy consumption, while higher incomes should be focused upon the consequences of eating food outside the home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global biomass trade has risen sharply in recent decades. This development was accompanied by increasing concerns about adverse environmental impacts in exporting countries. In Austria, strong preference for food and bioenergy from domestic sources is prevalent, while especially biomass imports for energy are met with scepticism. We here investigate where biomass consumed in Austria originates from, and compare the source-region composition of biomass used for food, energy and material. High product-level detail is achieved by combining a physical consumption-based accounting approach with national statistics and process chain modelling. We find that 55% of the total biomass consumed in Austria originates from domestic forestry or agriculture and 30% from neighbouring countries. In all three use categories, the products with the largest biomass footprints (beef, pork, milk, cereal products, paper, wood fuels) are almost entirely sourced from Central Europe. Biomass originating from non-EU countries accounts for 7.6% of the primary biomass footprint and is most relevant for food (13%), primarily due to livestock feed imports. Although oil crop-based biofuels have relatively large primary biomass footprints overseas, bioenergy in Austria qualifies as more regional than food and material products. [Display omitted] • Analysis of Austria's total biomass consumption in raw material equivalents. • Focus on source regions of primary biomass for energy, food and material. • Overall biomass footprint is primarily located in Austria (55%). • Footprint abroad primarily in neighbouring countries (DE: 15%, CZ: 5%, HU: 4%). • Biomass for energy is more regional than food and biomass for material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a calculation of Denmark's production and consumption-based accounting CO 2 e emissions for five regions in 2011. We apply an environmentally extended economic model for Danish municipalities known as the Local "INterregional" Economic (LINE) model, together with a multi-regional input-output model for the world economy (EXIOBASE v3.4). We find that Denmark's Capital region accounts for 41% (28 MtCO 2 e) and 31% (27 MtCO 2 e) of Denmark's production and consumption-based emissions respectively. By disaggregating regional emissions into industry and product categories, we provide relevant information to producers and consumers in each region concerning areas where the most significant differences towards reducing their carbon footprint can be realised. Mobility, services, food and shelter were the main drivers of emissions in all Danish regions. The Central, North and South Denmark accounted for more than half (9.56 MtCO 2 e) of Denmark's food production emissions. The Capital region was the largest source of emissions (3.79 MtCO 2 e) related to food consumption. We suggest that dietary changes towards less red meat and dairy products can potentially reduce regional food-related emissions of Danish households. Our results indicate that modest changes in consumer lifestyles are pivotal for local climate mitigation policies, especially in Denmark's biggest cities, Copenhagen, Århus, Aalborg and Odense. Unlabelled Image • The Capital region accounts for more than a third of Denmark's emissions • Mobility, food and shelter form the highest production emission shares • Services and food products account for more than half of DK's CF • The four biggest municipalities account for 22% of DK's CF • Animal-based food products account for 45% of DK's food-related CF [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence of thresholds constitutes an important frontier topic for resilience analysis and measurement. This paper contributes to the literature by identifying critical resilience thresholds below which rural Tanzanian households are unable to absorb the negative effects of temperature anomalies on long-run growth. To make up for the lack of long micro panels, we generate a synthetic panel covering the time span 2000–2013. We show that 25%–47% of households in our sample lie below the estimated thresholds. The evidence of resilience-driven regime shifts and non-linear dynamics has important implications for adaptation to climate change in developing countries and is of significant interest for policy interventions. • We study the causal links between resilience to temperature anomalies and food consumption growth. • We adopt a pseudo-panel approach to explore long-run dynamics. • We identify resilience thresholds marking regime shifts in growth trajectories. • We assess that a share of households comprised between 25% and 47% in rural Tanzania lie below the thresholds. • We provide key implications for policy targeting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]