Environmental footprints of Chinese foods and beverages: Literature-based construction of a LCA database

Hongyi Cai; Sander Biesbroek; Xin Wen; Shenggen Fan; Pieter van 't Veer; Elise F Talsma

doi:10.1016/j.dib.2022.108244

Environmental footprints of Chinese foods and beverages: Literature-based construction of a LCA database

Data Brief. 2022 May 6:42:108244. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2022.108244. eCollection 2022 Jun.

Authors

Hongyi Cai^{1

2

3}, Sander Biesbroek², Xin Wen¹, Shenggen Fan^{3

4}, Pieter van 't Veer², Elise F Talsma²

Affiliations

¹ College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China.
² Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE Wageningen, The Netherlands.
³ Academy of Global Food Economics and Policy, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China.
⁴ College of Economics and Management, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China.

Abstract

To accurately estimate and model the impact of food consumption and potential dietary changes on environment and climate change, the need for country specific data is evident. This study developed a Chinese Food Life Cycle Assessment Database (CFLCAD) in which Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHGE) for 80 food items, Water Use (WU) for 93 food items and Land Use (LU) for 50 food items were collected through a literature review. To estimate the environmental footprints of food from production to consumption, the study applied conversion factors for the edible portion of food, food loss ratio and processing, storage, packaging, transportation, and food preparation stages. In addition, when no LCA data of a certain food was available, data from food groups with similar nutritional composition or cultivation condition were used as proxies. The database covered 17 food groups and each food item was referenced to the Chinese Food Composition Table and has a unique food code. The CFLCAD can be used to link individual-level food consumption data with nutrition survey in China, to allow for a more accurate estimation of the environmental footprints of Chinese diets.

Keywords: Chinese food and drink; Diet; Greenhouse gas emission; Land use; Life cycle assessment; Water use.