Examining the Environmental Impacts of the Dairy and Baby Food Industries: Are First-Food Systems a Crucial Missing Part of the Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems Agenda Now Underway?

Summary

This systematic review examines the planetary health implications of commercial milk formula use, with particular focus on the dairy sector's contribution to climate and water impacts. The authors find that CMF production has approximately double the greenhouse gas emissions of breastfeeding and substantial freshwater demands, and argue that protection and facilitation of breastfeeding should form a cornerstone of sustainable food systems policy. The work positions infant feeding practices as a neglected but significant nexus between food systems transformation and maternal and child health outcomes.

Regional applicability

The findings are directly relevant to UK food systems policy and public health strategy, particularly given the NHS's promotion of breastfeeding and growing attention to sustainable food policy. The environmental metrics and dairy sector analysis apply to UK production systems, though breastfeeding rates and formula use patterns may differ from global averages.

Key measures

Carbon footprint (comparative analysis between CMF and breastfeeding); blue water footprint of CMF (litres per kilogramme); environmental impacts on climate change, water use and pollution

Outcomes reported

The study quantified the carbon footprint and water footprint of commercial milk formula (CMF) production relative to breastfeeding, and examined downstream health and environmental consequences of CMF use. The review identified CMF as having twice the carbon footprint of breastfeeding and a blue water footprint of 699 L per kilogramme.

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