Assessing the Carbon Emission Driven by the Consumption of Carbohydrate-Rich Foods: The Case of China

Xiaoke Yang, Zhihang Zhang, Huangyixin Chen, Rongrong Zhao, Zhongyue Xu, Anguo Xie and Qiuhua Chen
Additional contact information
Xiaoke Yang: College of Management, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Zhihang Zhang: Teagasc Food Research Centre, Ashtown, 15 Dublin, Ireland
Huangyixin Chen: College of Management, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Rongrong Zhao: College of Management, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Zhongyue Xu: College of Management, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Anguo Xie: College of Food &Bioengineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471023, China
Qiuhua Chen: College of Management, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 7, 1-15

Abstract: Background: Carbohydrate-rich (CR) foods are essential parts of the Chinese diet. However, CR foods are often given less attention than animal-based foods. The objectives of this study were to analyze the carbon emissions caused by CR foods and to generate sustainable diets with low climate impact and adequate nutrients. Methods: Twelve common CR food consumption records from 4857 individuals were analyzed using K-means clustering algorithms. Furthermore, linear programming was used to generate optimized diets. Results: Total carbon emissions by CR foods was 683.38g CO 2 eq per day per capita, accounting for an annual total of 341.9Mt CO 2 eq. All individuals were ultimately divided into eight clusters, and none of the popular clusters were low carbon or nutrient sufficient. Optimized diets could reduce about 40% of carbon emissions compared to the average current diet. However, significant structural differences exist between the current diet and optimized diets. Conclusions: To reduce carbon emissions from the food chain, CR foods should be a research focus. Current Chinese diets need a big change to achieve positive environmental and health goals. The reduction of rice and wheat-based foods and an increase of bean foods were the focus of structural dietary change in CR food consumption.

Keywords: sustainable diets; nutritional adequacy; environmental impact; K-means clustering; linear programming (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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