Reducir la carne y el pescado para incrementar las legumbres y diversificar los cereales en los menús escolares disminuye el impacto ambiental hasta un 50%

The transition towards healthy diets with low environmental impact is crucial to achieve this sustainable food systems and reduce health problems. In this context, school dietary guidelines can encourage eating behaviors among students who have a smaller environmental footprint.

A research by the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a center promoted by the «la Caixa» Foundation, the Public Health Agency of Catalonia (ASPCAT), the UNESCO Chair of Life Cycle and Climate Change ESCI-UPF and the UPF Barcelona School of Management (UPF-BSM), has analyzed the school food guides published by ASPCAT since 2005 and updated in 2012, 2017 and 2020. These guides serve as a reference for design education centers. healthy menus.

«This is one of the first articles that focuses on school menus, since the dining room is a learning space where boys and girls adopt eating habits that can last a lifetime«explains one of the authors of the study, Júlia Benito-Cobeña. Her TFM from the UOC’s online university master’s degree in Healthy and Sustainable Eating is the basis of this research. «The ASPCAT updated its guides in 2020 taking sustainability criteria into account. With this study we have verified that the environmental impact actually decreases and we have contributed knowledge to define new menus that further reduce this impact of school feeding,» he highlights. The study was co-led by Ujué Fresán, an ISGlobal researcher at the time of the study and a collaborating professor at the UOC, and Laura Batlle-Bayer, from the ESCI-UPF.

Published openly in the magazine Total Environmental ScienceThe results show the progressive changes in the environmental impact of school menus for boys and girls from 7 to 12 years old, analyzing the four versions of the guides. The authors compared the environmental impact through 16 indicatorssuch as acidification, water scarcity, human toxicity, the use of mineral and metal resources or the use of fossil resources, among others, as well as an added indicator: the ecological footprint.

Using the 2005 guidelines as a basis, the 2012, 2017, and 2020 updates were associated with environmental footprint reductions of 9%, 22% and 40%, respectively. Furthermore, all individual indicators show significantly lower environmental impacts in 2020 compared to 2005, with reductions ranging from 5% to 52%.

The foods with the greatest footprint

The work, in which the teacher of the Health Sciences Studies, Anna Bachone of the coordinators of the Nutrition, Food, Health and Sustainability research group (NUTRALISS) -attached to eHealth Center-, also analyzes which food groups have the most impact on each environmental indicator and proposes changes without compromising the macronutrient distribution nor the nutritional quality of the menus.

The second courses, mainly meat and fishThey are the ones that contribute the most to environmental impacts. The increase in proteins of plant origin, at the expense of the reduction of meat and fish, combined with a cereal intake more diversified, reduce the environmental impacts of the diet by approximately 50%.

«Fruit and rice are mainly responsible for water consumption, but fruit It has an essential role in healthy eating, which is why it is recommended to consume it in four out of five meals. Reducing its consumption would have a negative effect on health,» he adds. According to the study, the rice It can be replaced by other cereals that are more adaptable to climate change, which would also reduce the environmental impact.

Alternatives that are attractive

Regarding the reluctance that could arise when proposing these changes, especially among families, the study cites the false myth that plant-based menus are monotonous and nutritionally deficient.

«There are also barriers to acceptance by boys and girls: without a way of cooking and attractive presentationIt is more difficult for them to want to eat certain foods such as vegetables or legumes. For this reason, it will be necessary to work together with families, school and kitchen staff,» the author lists. «We would also have to study the level of real implementation of these guides in schools,» she says.

Although the study has focused on the Catalan guides, its results could extrapolate to state recommendationscollected in the Royal Decree to promote healthy and sustainable eating in educational centerspublished by the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030 last April.

Reference:

Benito-Cobeña, J., Battle-Bayer, L., Bach-Faig, A., Giner, M P., Salvador, G., Manera, M., Blanquer, M., Vila, L., Roca, M., Fresán, U. “Evolution, trade-offs and optimization of the environmental impact of dietary recommendations for school meals.” Total Environmental Science. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.180102