Sustainability and nutritional aspects of traditional dishes from the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, Italy: A true cost accounting evaluation

The agrifood system needs to be redirected towards a path of sustainable development in which tradition regains its rightful place and importance. True Cost Accounting (TCA) can support this transition by translating environmental impacts into monetary terms and highlighting the hidden costs of foods. The present research combines TCA with nutritional data of traditional dishes from the Friuli Venezia Giulia region (Italy) to assess their sustainability. Results show the dishes with the highest hidden costs are those with animal proteins (beef), while those with predominant vegetable proteins have generally lower hidden costs. Specific ingredients and portion sizes were found to influence the dish impact and should be considered when developing sustainable menus or guidelines. The present study can pave the way for further studies designed to consider actual environmental indexes of local origin foods and food preparations and to summarize them in a single economic indicator, such as true cost. • True cost accounting sheds light on the hidden costs of food. • This is the first study estimating the true cost of traditional dishes. • Dishes with mainly protein of animal origin (beef) have the highest hidden costs. • Specific ingredients and portion sizes play a key role in sustainable diets/menus.