Paths towards a sustainable food sector

Purpose and goal

The project has delivered concrete descriptions of environmentally improved supply chains, from primary production to retail, of six commodities (milk, cheese, beef, pork, chicken and bread) without jeopardizing food safety, sensory qualities, animal welfare, consumer appreciation and (only for primary production) costs. The reference systems and the new supply chains, designed in three versions, each corresponding to clusters of environmental objectives, have been assessed using LCA.

Results and expected effects

The project and its results have experienced important interest from companies, authorities and other organizations. Insights from the result should trigger actors within the food supply chain to implement already fairly established knowledge and technology and thereby reduce the environmental impact from and resources used in the food production systems. Large amounts of detailed data will most certainly be used in upcoming projects, both within the network built up during the project and in other contexts. Additional scientific publication is also to be expected.

Approach and implementation

Experts on food production and LCA designed environmentally improved production systems. Each system was designed in three scenarios, corresponding to clusters of environmental objectives. The improvements were to be implementable within ten years. The agricultural part included the entire annual primary production within a specified region while beyond agriculture specific products were studied. The solutions were challenged and, if necessary, modified, considering their possible consequences from other sustainability perspectives and finally quantified using LCA.