The water footprint of different diets within European sub-national geographical entities

Mapping Intimacies ◽

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-9383 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Davy Vanham

Keyword(s):

Water Resources ◽

Food Consumption ◽

Water Footprint ◽

Vegetarian Diet ◽

Healthy Diet ◽

Geographical Differences ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

Raising Awareness ◽

Healthy Diets ◽

Socio Economic Factors

The water footprint concept has been recognized as being highly valuable for raising awareness of the large quantity of water resources required to produce the food we consume. We present, for three major European countries (the United Kingdom, France and Germany), a geographically detailed nationwide food-consumption-related water footprint, taking into account socio-economic factors of food consumption, for both existing and recommended diets (healthy diet with meat, healthy pescetarian diet and healthy vegetarian diet). Using socio-economic data, national food surveys and international food consumption and water footprint databases, we were able to refine national water footprint data to the smallest possible administrative boundaries within a country (reference period 2007&#8211;2011). We found geographical differences in water footprint values for existing diets as well as for the reduction in water footprints associated with a change to the recommended healthy diets. For all 43,786 analysed geographical entities, the water footprint decreases for a healthy diet containing meat (range 11&#8211;35%). Larger reductions are observed for the healthy pescetarian (range 33&#8211;55%) and healthy vegetarian (range 35&#8211;55%) diets. In other words, shifting to a healthy diet is not only good for human health, but also substantially reduces consumption of water resources, consistently for all geographical entities throughout the three countries. Our full results are available as a supplementary dataset. These data can be used at different governance levels in order to inform policies targeted to specific geographical entities.This presentation is based on a recent paper published in Nature Sustainability

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The water footprint of Milan

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2013.759 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 69 (4) ◽

pp. 789-795 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

D. Vanham ◽

G. Bidoglio

Keyword(s):

Water Footprint ◽

Virtual Water ◽

Vegetarian Diet ◽

Dietary Guidelines ◽

Healthy Diet ◽

Agricultural Products ◽

Domestic Water ◽

Sustainable City ◽

Animal Fats ◽

Meat Animal

This study quantifies the water footprint of consumption (WFcons) and production (WFprod) of Milan. The current WFcons amounts to 6,139 l/cap/d (a volume of 2.93 km3 annually), of which 52 l/cap/d (1%) is attributed to domestic water, 448 l/cap/d (7%) to the consumption of industrial products and 5,639 l/cap/d (92%) to the consumption of agricultural products. The WFprod is 52 l/cap/d. Milan is thus a net virtual water importer, predominately through the import of agricultural products. These are produced outside city borders, both in Italy and abroad. This shows the dependency of city dwellers on water resources from other river basins. In addition, the WFcons for a healthy diet (based on Mediterranean Food-Based Dietary Guidelines) and a vegetarian diet are analysed. The current Milanese diet consists of too much sugar, crop oils, meat, animal fats, milk and milk products and not enough cereals, rice, potatoes, vegetables and fruit. The latter two diets result in substantial WFcons reductions: −29% (to 4,339 l/cap/d) for a healthy diet and −41% (to 3,631 l/cap/d) for a vegetarian diet. Indeed, a lot of water could be saved by Milan citizens through a change in their diet. A sustainable city should account for its impacts beyond its borders.

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Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Food Consumption in Indonesia

Muhammadiyah International Public Health and Medicine Proceeding ◽

10.53947/miphmp.v1i1.65 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 313-320

Author(s):

Amalia Zaida

Keyword(s):

Food Consumption ◽

Fast Food ◽

The Body ◽

Healthy Diet ◽

Consumption Patterns ◽

Research Approach ◽

Healthy Diets ◽

Tailored Approach ◽

Sweet Foods ◽

The Impact

Prevention of Covid-19 transmission by increasing immunity of the body with protein intake results in changes in people's dietary behavior. Pressure due to changing environment and loss of work leads to the tendency to eat sweet foods, preserved, high in fat and salt. This study aims to determine changes in food consumption patterns in Indonesia during the Covid-19 pandemic. Use a quick assessment of empirical facts about Indonesia's ongoing impact on Covid-19. The research approach framework conceptualizes Covid-19 as a 'Cause', and its effect on changes in food consumption patterns is "Consequent". The data used in this study from study literature uses references from national and international literature. Literature materials in the form of journals, articles, books, and news that discuss the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on people's behavior, especially food consumption behavior, which can be accessed in electronic media. Pandemic covid-19 in Indonesian society affects food consumption patterns, namely, in adults, consumption of vegetables, fruits, and spices increases. While in adolescence, consumption of sweets and fast food increases. This change in the diet affects immunity. A healthy diet increases immunity and reduces the potential for contracting covid-19. Changes in different diets require a tailored approach to community nutrition fulfillment programs. It is necessary to create a program to raise awareness among young people to implement a healthy diet, and a program to support the consistency of healthy diets that have been formed in the community due to the covid-19 pandemic.

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Driving Forces of Food Consumption Water Footprint in North China

Water ◽

10.3390/w13060810 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 810

Author(s):

Yang Liu ◽

Jianyi Lin ◽

Huimei Li ◽

Ruogu Huang ◽

Hui Han

Keyword(s):

Water Resources ◽

Food Consumption ◽

Water Use ◽

North China ◽

Water Footprint ◽

Driving Forces ◽

The Other ◽

Leading Role ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

Per Capita

The water footprint (WF) vividly links water resources with virtual water of food, providing a novel perspective on food demand and water resources management. This study estimates the per capita WF of food consumption for six provinces in North China. Then, the study applies the logarithmic mean Divisia index method to decompose the driving forces of their WF changes. Results show that the per capita WF of food consumption in Beijing, Tianjin, and Inner Mongolia increases significantly in 2005–2017, whereas that in the other three provinces in North China varies slightly. All provinces have shown the same trend of food structure changes: the grain decreased, whereas the meat increased. In general, the urban effect was positive, and the rural effect was negative for all regions. The urban effects in Beijing and Tianjin played a leading role, whereas the rural effects in the other four provinces played a leading role from 2005–2009. However, the urban effects in all provinces played a leading role in 2010–2017. The WF efficiency increased in each province, and the effect in urban areas is stronger due to the higher water use efficiency. For most provinces, the consumption structure was positive because the diet shifted toward more meat consumption. The food consumption per capita effect was the major driving force in Beijing and Tianjin due to the increased consumption level, whereas the population proportion effect exerted a weak effect. To alleviate the pressure on water resources, further improving water use efficiency in food production and changing the planting structure should be emphasized for all regions in North China.

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Water Footprint of Food Consumption by Chinese Residents

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16203979 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (20) ◽

pp. 3979 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Yu Zhang ◽

Qing Tian ◽

Huan Hu ◽

Miao Yu

Keyword(s):

Water Resources ◽

Food Consumption ◽

Water Footprint ◽

Virtual Water ◽

Agricultural Products ◽

Green Water ◽

Human Beings ◽

Rural Residents ◽

Consumption Structure ◽

Gray Water

Water shortages are a worldwide problem. Virtual water and the water footprint link water resources, human beings and agricultural products, and are effective tools to alleviate water-resources stress. The production of agricultural products consumes a large amount of water, and food is the most basic consumer good for human survival, so it is very necessary to study the water footprint of residents’ food consumption, which is also the weak point of current research on virtual water and the water footprint. This paper aimed to conduct a comprehensive analysis on the water footprint of food consumption in China from the perspectives of urban and rural residents, per capita water footprint, water footprint structure and food consumption structure. The results revealed that the average water footprint of residents’ food consumption was 605.12 billion m3/year, basically showing an upward trend. Guangdong residents had the highest water footprint for food consumption due to the highest population and higher consumption of water-intensive foodstuffs such as grain and meat in their diet. The water footprint of Xizang residents’ food consumption was the lowest followed by Ningxia and Qinghai due to having the least population. The water footprint of food consumption consumed by urban residents was on the rise while that consumed by rural residents was on the decline in China, which was consistent with the changing trend of population. On the whole, the rural population consumed more virtual water embedded in food than the urban population. From the water footprint structure point, the contribution rate of the green water footprint is the largest, reaching 69.36%. The second is the gray water footprint and then the blue water footprint, accounting for 18.71% and 11.93%, respectively. From the perspective of the food consumption structure, grain and pig, beef and mutton consumption contributed significantly to the total water footprint of residents’ food consumption, contributing 37.5% and 22.56%, respectively. The study is helpful for water management and water allocation in rural and urban areas, improving agricultural technology to reduce the gray water footprint and optimizing food consumption structure, such as reducing the consumption of grain and meat.

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Water Resources for Sustainable Healthy Diets: State of the Art and Outlook

Water ◽

10.3390/w12113224 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. 3224 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Davy Vanham

Keyword(s):

Water Resources ◽

Food Item ◽

Sustainability Assessment ◽

Water Footprint ◽

Health Indicators ◽

Dietary Guidelines ◽

Green Water ◽

Future Research ◽

Healthy Diets ◽

Three Components

Sustainable healthy diets are high on the research and policy agendas. One of the crucial resources to provide such diets are water resources. This paper provides a brief overview of the current research state regarding this topic, with a focus on the water footprint concept, as latter quantifies water use along a supply chain. The water footprint (WF) quantifies blue and green water consumption, as both these water resources are essential for food and energy production as well as for the environment. Different kinds of information are embedded in a dietary WF and different data sources and modelling approaches exist, leading to WF dietary amounts that are not always directly comparable. A full sustainability assessment of a dietary WF encompasses three components: (1) an equity assessment of the total WF amount; (2) an efficiency assessment for each food item in the diet as well as (3) an impact assessment (blue water stress and green water scarcity) for each food item in the diet. The paper concludes with an outlook on future research on the topic, listing the following points: (1) future clarity in system boundary and modelling assumptions, with comparison of results between different approaches; (2) full sustainability assessments including all three components; (3) dietary footprint family assessments with the WF as one member; (4) WF assessments for multiple dietary regimes with support to the development of local dietary guidelines and (5) assessment of the synergies with LCA-based mid-point (scarcity-weighted WF) and end-point (especially human health) indicators and evaluation of the validity and empirical significance of these two indicators

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Food Consumption, Nutrient Intake, and Prevalence of Malnutrition in Relation with Geographical and Socio-Economic Factors Among Older Chinese: Findings from Chinese National Nutrition and Healthy Survey 2010-2013

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.3210896 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Jian Zhang ◽

Pengkun Song ◽

Liyun Zhao ◽

Kai Yu ◽

Jing Yin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Consumption ◽

Nutrient Intake ◽

Economic Factors ◽

Older Chinese ◽

Socio Economic Factors

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Decomposition of Water Footprint of Food Consumption in Typical East Chinese Cities

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13010409 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 409

Author(s):

Ruogu Huang ◽

Xiangyang Li ◽

Yang Liu ◽

Yaohao Tang ◽

Jianyi Lin

Keyword(s):

Food Consumption ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Water Footprint ◽

Utilization Efficiency ◽

Diet Shift ◽

City Development ◽

Intensity Effect ◽

Consumption Level ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Per Capita

Water scarcity has put pressure on city development in China. With a particular focus on urban and rural effects, logarithmic mean Divisia index decomposition (LMDI) was used to analyze the water footprint per capita (WFP) of food consumption in five East China cities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Qingdao, and Xiamen) from 2008 to 2018. Results show that the WFP of food consumption exhibited an upward tendency among all cities during the research period. Food consumption structure contributed the most to the WFP growth, mainly due to urban and rural residents’ diet shift toward a livestock-rich style. Except in Beijing, the food consumption level mainly inhibited the WFP growth due to the decrease in food consumption level per capita in urban areas. Urbanization had less influence on WFP growth for two megacities (Beijing and Shanghai) due to the strictly controlled urban population inflow policy and more positive effects for other cities. The water footprint intensity effect among cities was mainly due to uneven water-saving efficiency. Meanwhile, Beijing and Tianjin have achieved advancement in water utilization efficiency.

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Mental well-being interventions in the military: The ten key principles

BMJ Military Health ◽

10.1136/bmjmilitary-2020-001740 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. bmjmilitary-2020-001740

Author(s):

Erin G Lawrence ◽

N Jones ◽

N Greenberg ◽

N T Fear ◽

S Wessely ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Armed Forces ◽

Well Being ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

Raising Awareness ◽

Mental Health Interventions ◽

External Training ◽

The Military ◽

Mental Well Being ◽

Single Versus

Organisations including the United Kingdom Armed Forces should seek to implement mental health interventions to increase the psychological well-being of their workforce. This editorial briefly presents ten key principles that military forces should consider before implementing such interventions. These include job-focused training; evaluating interventions; the use of internal versus external training providers; the role of leaders; unit cohesion, single versus multiple session psychological interventions; not overgeneralising the applicability of interventions; the need for repeated skills practice; raising awareness and the fallibility of screening.

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