Table 4.
Summary of studies reporting MedDiet scenario sustainability vs. other scenarios or dietary consumption.
| References | Participants; n | Location | Dietary patterns | Sustainability indicators | Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blas et al. (42) | National representative sample; n = 8,000 households | Spain | •MedDiet •Spanish dietary pattern |
•Multidimensional nutritional analysis •WF •Nutritional-Water productivity |
•Spanish dietary pattern has 3 times more meat-dairy-sweet and 1/3 fewer fruits-vegetables than MedDiet. •Due to the high embedded water content in animal products, a shift toward a MedDiet would reduce the consumptive WF about 750 l/capita day. •MedDiet has better water-nutritional efficiency (NWP) than the current one: it provides more energy, fiber, and nutrients per liter of consumptive water. |
| van Dooren et al. (43) | National representative sample; (1–97 years); n = 5,958 | Netherlands | •MedDiet •Dutch diet •Official “recommender” Dutch diet •Semi-vegetarian diet •Vegetarian diet •Vegan diet |
•Health score •GHGs emissions •Land use •Combined GHGE–LU Score |
•Consumption of meat, dairy products, extras, such as snacks, sweets, pastries, and beverages, are largely responsible for low Combined GHGE–LU Score and simultaneously, these food groups contribute to low health scores. •The Mediterranean diet is generally the health focus option with a high Combined GHGE–LU Score. •Health and Combined GHGE–LU Score of all six diets go largely hand in hand. |
| Germani et al. (44) | National representative sample; (0.1-97.7 years); n = 3,323 | Italy | •MedDiet •INRAN-SCAI consumption |
•CF •EF •WF •Cost |
•MedDiet produce a lower environmental impact than the food consumption of the Italian population (CF, EF and WF). •The monthly expenditure of the MedDiet is slightly higher in the overall budget compared to the expenditure allocated to food by the Italian population. |
| Sáez-Almendros et al. (45) | National representative sample; n = 6,000 households | Spain | •MedDiet •Spanish dietary pattern •Western dietary pattern |
•GHGs emissions •Land use •Energy use •Water use |
•Increasing adherence to the MedDiet pattern in Spain will reduce GHGs emissions (72%), land use (58%) and energy consumption (52%), and to a lower extent water consumption (33%). •Adherence to a western dietary pattern implies an increase in all the descriptors between 12 and 72%. |
MedDiet, Mediterranean diet; INRAN-SCAI, Italian National Food Consumption Survey; WF, Water Footprint; NWP, Nutritional Water Productivity; GHGs, Greenhouse Gases; GHGE-LU, Greenhouse Gases Emissions-Land Use; CF, Carbon Footprint; EF, Ecological Footprint.