Assessing the Carbon Footprint of Meals: A Case Study from a Portuguese College Canteen

Institutional food services, such as school canteens, significantly contribute to the environmental impact of food systems due to the high volume of meals served and their influence on dietary habits, particularly among younger populations. This study assessed the carbon footprint (CF) of all the dishes on the menu offered by a college canteen in central Portugal, including meat, fish/seafood, and vegan options. Nutritional adequacy was also evaluated, defined as the percentage of dishes meeting established nutritional guidelines. The findings revealed that meat-based dishes had the highest CF, followed by fish/seafood options, while vegan dishes exhibited the lowest environmental impact. In terms of nutritional adequacy, meat and fish/seafood dishes frequently exceeded recommended levels of protein and lipids, making them the least nutritionally balanced. These results indicate that reducing animal-based protein sources in institutional menus could effectively lower carbon emissions while enhancing nutritional quality. Promoting plant-based alternatives and adjusting portion sizes of meat and fish can support both environmental sustainability and public health objectives.

Descrição

Acknowledgements: The authors thank Natália Tomás and Daniel Cipriano from the Polytechnic of Leiria’s Social Services department for providing the data to determine the carbon footprint and nutritional composition of the canteen dishes.
Part of the book series: Lecture Notes on Multidisciplinary Industrial Engineering (LNMUINEN).

Palavras-chave

Sustainability School meals Meat-based dishes Fish/seafood-based dishes Vegan dishes Nutritional adequacy

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/16838

Citação

Guimarães, C. et al. (2026). Assessing the Carbon Footprint of Meals: A Case Study from a Portuguese College Canteen. In: Ribeiro, V., et al. Current and Future Trends of Agrifood . ICoWEFS 2025. Lecture Notes on Multidisciplinary Industrial Engineering. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-19652-1_26

Editora

Springer Nature

DOI

10.1007/978-3-032-19652-1_26

Coleções

ciTechCare - Capítulos de livros

Licença CC

Sem licença CC

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