If Americans altered their menus to conform to federal dietary recommendations, emissions² of heat-trapping greenhouse gases tied to agricultural production could increase significantly, according to a new study by University of Michigan researchers. Martin Heller and Gregory Keoleian of U-M's Center for Sustainable Systems looked at the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production of about 100 foods, as well as the potential effects of shifting Americans to a diet recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

 

They found that if Americans adopted the recommendations in USDA's "Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010," while keeping caloric intake³ constant, diet-related greenhouse gas emissions would increase 12 percent.

 

If Americans reduced their daily caloric intake to the recommended level of about 2,000 calories while shifting to a healthier diet, greenhouse gas emissions would decrease by only 1 percent, according to Heller and Keoleian.

 

A paper by Heller and Keoleian titled "Greenhouse gas emission¹ estimates of U.S. dietary choices and food loss" is scheduled for online publication Sept. 5 in the Journal of Industrial Ecology.

 

"The take-home message is that health and environmental agendas are not aligned⁴ in the current dietary recommendations," Heller said.

 

The paper's findings are especially relevant now because the USDA Dietary Guidelines Advisory⁵ Committee is for the first time considering food sustainability within the context of dietary recommendations, he said.

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