The Economic Cost and Environmental Impacts of Shifting to Healthier Dietary Patterns in Lebanon

Abstract

Background: Following the release of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), sustainable diets – dietary patterns and guidelines with various impacts on non-communicable diseases – were explored to minimize the effects of food consumption on health and the environment, in addition to their economic implications. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost and the environmental footprints (EFPs) of national food consumption patterns in Lebanese adults and evaluate the impact of shifting consumption in line with the Mediterranean diet (MD) and the EAT-Lancet dietary recommendations. Methods: For this study, food consumption data for adults (≥20 years) were drawn from a previous national food consumption survey conducted in Lebanon (2008–2009), where dietary intake was assessed using a 61-item Food Frequency Questionnaire. Data on environmental footprints was retrieved from secondary sources. Primary data on a range of food prices was collected from food retail outlets in Beirut, Lebanon. This data was used to estimate the economic cost and EFPs of the traditional food consumption in Lebanon and assess the impact of shifting the pattern in line with the EAT-Lancet and Mediterranean recommendations. The three dietary patterns (Lebanese national consumption, EAT-Lancet and Mediterranean diets (MD)) were also compared for their EFPs including water use, energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Results: The cost of the Lebanese national diet summed to 12,739.8 LL per person per day. Moreover, the total EFPs of Lebanese national consumption were the following for water use, energy use and GHG emissions respectively: 2,233.52 L, 32.23 MJ and 3.47 kgCO2eq. The cost of the EAT-Lancet diet was 12.9% less than the parallel cost of the Lebanese national consumption. Moreover, all three EFPs of the EAT-Lancet diet were less than that of Lebanese national consumption with the following differences in water use, energy use and GHGE respectively: 457.52 L, 2.68 MJ and 1.25 kgCo2eq. On the other hand, the cost of the MD was 47.9% higher than that of the parallel cost of the Lebanese national consumption. In addition, all three EFPs of the MD were higher than that of Lebanese consumption with the following differences in water use, energy use and GHGEs respectively: 552.90 L, 33.68 MJ and 2.61 kgCo2eq. Therefore, shifting from national Lebanese consumption to the EAT-Lancet diet would lead to lesser cost and lower EFPs, whereas shifting from national Lebanese consumption to the MD model used would lead to higher cost and EFPs. Conclusions: Evidence based adjustments of the food consumption pattern in Lebanon are needed to ensure health, environmental sustainability, as well as minimize cost. World Health Organization, MD and EAT-Lancet recommendations, along with expert opinions, can guide the process for achieving sustainable consumption with the needed tradeoffs in line with the SDGs.