Environmental Impacts Related to Food Consumption of Indonesian Adults

Abstract

The challenge for nutrition science is to understand strategies to enable a balance between healthy diets and sustainable food systems. This study was to quantify greenhouse gas (GHG) emission of food consumption related to different dietary preferences among Indonesian adults by body mass index (BMI).

Methods: We utilized the existing food consumption survey databases. Dietary and anthropometric information were obtained from Total Diet Study (Studi Diet Total/SDT) in 2014 and Basic Health Research (Riskesdas/RKD) in 2013. The most consumed food items from 14 food groups were selected as representatives of rice, cassava, tofu, long beans, banana, chicken meat, chicken liver, mackerel tuna, chicken egg, condensed milk, palm oil, white sugar, shallot, and ground coffee. The GHGs emission factors were acquired from Thai National Life Cycle Inventory Database. Food weight (gram), energy intake (kcal), and GHGs emission (kgCO2eq) from consumption of these food items were analyzed among BMI groups.

Results: Annual GHGs emission by underweight, normal, overweight and obesity group were 794, 827, 801, and 791 kgCO2eq/person, respectively. The highest contributor of GHG was chicken meat, followed by rice and chicken eggs (190, 175, and 123 kgCO2eq/person/y, respectively). Indonesian people in the obesity group consumed higher amount of food (p=0.001) than other groups, however, they emitted lowest GHG emission (p=0.001).

Conclusion: This finding suggested that selection of food type plays a critical role on the environment and amount of consumption. Food choices of the population may ultimately result in impacts on environment and have public health consequences.

Keywords: Indonesia; food consumption; greenhouse gas emissions; nutritional status.