Environmental and nutritional profile of food consumption patterns in the different climatic zones of Spain

One of the most effective ways to mitigate the effects of climate change at the individual level is to change food consumption habits, given that the food system is one of the main human sources of GHG emissions. In this sense, there is an urgent need to implement actions and to develop social awareness towards more sustainable diets that ensure nutritional quality and, at the same time, are environmentally friendly. Variation in consumption habits can be significant even within the same country, so recommendations aimed at improving consumption habits can also vary accordingly. Thus, the main goal of this study is to identify variations in food consumption patterns in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and nutritional intake adequacy for the 5 climatic zones of Spain. For this purpose, household food consumption data have been taken from surveys carried out by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. It is foreseeable that the daily food basket and the eating habits associated with each territory will be justified not only on the basis of their geoclimatic conditions but also on the basis of culinary culture and tradition, socio-demographic profile and economic level. Variations in food consumption make it possible to relate northern areas to a higher carbon footprint (3.26 kg CO2 eq·inhabitant−1·day−1) in comparison to those from southern regions (2.93 kg CO2 eq·inhabitant−1·day−1), due to both higher consumption of animal origin products and higher energy intake. On the other hand, the higher consumption of fruits, seafood and legumes (17%, 34% and 11% respectively) in the northern regions than in southern ones also provides them a better nutritional profile. In view of the observed variations, the need to apply specific regional-addressed policies geared towards more sustainable consumption habits within the same country is highlighted.