Exploring eight-year trajectories of diet-related environmental pressures in the NutriNet-Santé cohort
Few studies have explored individual diet-related environmental pressure changes, beyond greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe) and land occupation (LO). This study evaluates the trajectories in several environmental impacts of diets among 8,905 French adults from the NutriNet-Santé cohort, who completed food frequency questionnaires (distinguishing organic vs. conventional foods) in 2014, 2018, and 2022. Six environmental indicators-GHGe, LO, energy demand, ecological infrastructure use, water use, and pesticide use-were estimated at the farm perimeter using a multi-source approach. Latent class models identified trajectories for a composite environmental pressure index (EPI) and each indicator, and mixed models adjusted for energy intake and sex modeled the trajectories. On average, most environmental pressures decreased over time (e.g., GHGe by -12%, water use by -1%), indicating a general improvement. However, ecological infrastructure also declined (-9%), which represents a negative outcome as it is linked to biodiversity. Two to four trajectory profiles were identified per indicator, with most individuals showing stable or modestly decreasing trends. Four EPI trajectories emerged: increasing EPI profiles were associated with higher meat consumption, whereas decreasing EPI reflected shifts toward more plant-based diets. Despite potential awareness of the importance of sustainable diets, this study reveals that most individuals show moderate improvements in their diet-related environmental pressures, with only a very small fraction showing important decreases.
Authors
- Hélène Charreire (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1260-9812)
- Thierry Feuillet (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5494-538X)
- Jean‐François Huneau (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7336-2617)
- Aurélien Chayre
- Sylvaine Berger
- Julia Baudry
- Elie Perraud (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7160-6104)
- Laurent Muller (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0840-5988)
- Hafsa Toujgani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-3529-9731)
- Aude Richard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7379-402X)
- Denis Lairon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9941-3742)
- Justine Berlivet (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5834-7088)
- Sabrina Teyssier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4588-6370)
- Benjamin Allès (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7970-171X)
- Hélène Fouillet (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3932-251X)
- François Mariotti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4516-3853)
- Philippe Pointereau
- Emmanuelle Kesse-Guyot
- Christian Couturier
- Mathilde Touvier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8322-8857)
- Serge Hercberg
- Kwang-Hyun Cho (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0220-0685)
Institutions
- Institut polytechnique de Grenoble (FR)
- Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (FR)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (FR)
- Inserm (FR)
- Université Paris-Est Créteil (FR)
- Université de Montpellier (FR)
- Université Paris Cité (FR)
- Aix-Marseille Université (FR)
- AgroParisTech (FR)
- Institut Agro Montpellier (FR)
- Université Paris-Saclay (FR)
- Sorbonne Université (FR)
- Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR)
- Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen de Montpellier (FR)
- Université Sorbonne Paris Nord (FR)
- Sorbonne Paris Cité (FR)
- Laboratoire d'Economie Appliquée de Grenoble (FR)
- Montpellier Interdisciplinary center on Sustainable Agri-food systems: social and nutritional sciences (FR)
- Solagro (FR)
- Centre International deHautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes (FR)
- Equipe de Recherche en Epidémiologie Nutritionnelle (FR)
- Identités et Différenciation de l'Environnement des Espaces et des Sociétés (FR)
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR)
- Centre de Recherche Épidémiologie et Statistique (FR)
- L'Institut Agro (FR)
- Université Grenoble Alpes (FR)
- Université de Caen Normandie (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Published
- 2025-12-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-29786-6
- Primary Topic
- Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Nord universitet
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale
- Ministère de la Santé
- Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers
- Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement