ArticleFrontiers in nutrition2026
Protein- and nutrient-normalized environmental footprints of university canteen meals.
Article in Frontiers in nutrition, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Balancing Environmental Footprints and Nutritional Efficiency in University Canteen Menus: A Scenario-Based Life Cycle Assessment of Menu Architecture.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
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Abstract
Background: The environmental sustainability of institutional diets is increasingly recognized as a core concern in nutrition science, as food service settings influence population-level dietary patterns. University canteens offer a strategic opportunity to align nutritional quality with environmental sustainability through evidence-based menu planning. Objectives: This study assessed the carbon and water footprints of meals served in a large university canteen system using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach, integrated with nutritional composition analysis and secondary protein-based normalization to inform sustainable diet planning. Methods: A total of 150 standardized recipes served in Erciyes University canteens in 2023 were evaluated. Ninety-five individual ingredients were modeled using SimaPro within a cradle-to-kitchen system boundary. Nutritional composition was calculated using the BEBİS database. Environmental impacts were first calculated per standardized serving using a cradle-to-kitchen LCA framework, then compared across meal groups and seasons; additionally, results were secondarily normalized by energy and protein content to explore nutrient-informed environmental efficiency. Results: Significant differences were observed among meal groups for both carbon and water footprints ( Conclusion: Meal composition-particularly protein source and nutritional density-is a primary determinant of environmental impact in university food services. Incorporating protein- and nutrient-based normalization into LCA-based environmental assessments represents a conceptual advance by linking environmental performance directly to nutritional function, thereby supporting nutritionally informed strategies for sustainable menu planning in institutional settings.
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