Do healthy diets in Europe matter to the environment? A quantitative analysis

Final consumption of food products figures amongst the strongest contributors to negative environmental impacts in Europe, with the production of beef and pork at agricultural level being the main responsible part of the food supply chain. This article analyses quantitatively the environmental impact of changing European diets. The environmental impact of European consumption is determined with an environmental extended input–output analysis, supplemented by a partial equilibrium model reflecting changes of the agricultural sector to modified diets. It results that agricultural production does not decrease significantly in reaction to reduced food consumption, due to a changed trade balance and substitution effects.