Summary
This paper by Clark et al., published in PNAS in 2019, provides a systematic assessment of the health and environmental impacts of a wide range of foods, identifying where dietary shifts could yield co-benefits for both human health and ecological sustainability. The authors likely draw on existing life cycle assessment data and epidemiological evidence to map foods across health and environmental dimensions simultaneously. The work contributes a comparative framework useful for identifying foods that are both health-promoting and environmentally benign, as well as those presenting trade-offs or dual burdens.
UK applicability
Although the analysis is global in scope, the findings are broadly applicable to UK food policy, particularly in the context of the National Food Strategy and commitments under the Climate Change Act, where aligning dietary guidelines with environmental sustainability goals is an active area of policy development.
Key measures
Disease-adjusted life years (DALYs); greenhouse gas emissions; land use; water use; nutrient profiles across food categories
Outcomes reported
The study assessed the dual health and environmental burdens associated with different food commodities, examining trade-offs and synergies between dietary choices and planetary sustainability outcomes.
Topic tags
Dig deeper with Pulse AI.
Pulse AI has read the whole catalogue. Ask about this record, its theme, or how the findings apply to UK farming and policy — every answer cites the underlying studies.