Study Finds a Healthy Diet Benefits the Environment

A healthy diet also benefits the environment, according to a scientific study presented in Brussels today by the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition (BCFN).

The study “Double Pyramid: Healthy Food for people, sustainable food for the planet” indicates that foods with higher recommended consumption levels are also those with lower environmental impact. Contrarily, those foods with lower recommended consumption levels are also those with higher environmental impact.

The Double Pyramid model combines the well-known food pyramid with the environmental pyramid, based on an estimation of the environmental impact of each foodstuff in terms of generation of greenhouse gases (Carbon Footprint), consumption of water resources (Water Footprint) and use of territory (Ecological Footprint).

The study was presented during open debate at the European Parliament, organized by the BCFN, where participants from the institutions, trade associations, businesses, and civil society discussed the topic "Healthy Food, Healthy Planet."

“While we cannot stop the continuing evolution of the planet, we have a moral duty to suggest directions and make proposals so that we can interact responsibly with it,” said Guido Barilla, Chairman of Barilla Group.

The Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition is a multidisciplinary think tank focusing on issues of food and nutrition and their relations to economics, medicine, diet, sociology and the environment.

Read the full story at BCFN.