Development of Environmental Sustainability Labels for Foods

Development of Environmental Sustainability Labels for Foods | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Development of Environmental Sustainability Labels for Foods Catalina Gonzáez-Hidalgo, Fernando Rojas, Silvia Sepúlveda, María Paz Beyer, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5194927/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Introduction: Law 20.606 establishes that foods with a high content of critical nutrients must carry the ”High in” label on the front of the pack- age. This label was developed from the perspective of human nutrition and public health, but it does not address the impact that food production, distribution, and consumption have on the environment. Objective: To create environmental sustainability labels for foods based on a sustain- ability score. Subjects and Methods: A qualitative-quantitative study was conducted. Using focus groups (FGs) with 24 experts, sustainabil- ity dimensions were defined, and a score was estimated using the Robust Compromise (RoCo) Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) statistical method. Based on these scores, foods were classified into environmen- tal sustainability categories, for which visual sustainability labels were designed and tested with older adults. Results: Four environmental sustainability dimensions for foods were identified from the FGs: Nova System, Packaging Material, Water Footprint, and Carbon Footprint. In a database of 1,839 foods classified into 25 categories, the information for the four identified dimensions was recorded for every 100 grams or milliliters of each food. The median sustainability score was 0.521193 (p25=0.397067 to p75=0.615901). 4.3% of the foods presented high en- vironmental sustainability, 82.9% medium sustainability, and 12.8% low sustainability. The foods with the lowest environmental sustainability were: Coffee, Processed Meats and Cold Cuts, Pastry Products, Aged Cheeses, Sugary Products, and Red Meats. The foods with the high- est sustainability were: Fruits, Tea, Vegetables, and Eggs. Three types of labels were defined: High environmentally friendly, Medium environ- mentally friendly, and Low environmentally friendly. Conclusions: This study identifies the environmental sustainability of foods consumed in Chile and provides a first version of environmental sustainability labels. Food Science & Technology Nutrition & Dietetics Information Retrieval and Management Environmental sustainability Food labeling Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Public health Sustainability score Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. All participants involved were informed of the study’s purpose, and consent to participate and publish was obtained. The study adhered to ethical standards, and the approving ethics committee granted a waiver for additional consent, as no personal or identifiable data was collected. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5194927","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":361643612,"identity":"6fbe6f10-b0b4-4aa5-902d-0773af8bb159","order_by":0,"name":"Catalina Gonzáez-Hidalgo","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3480-3453","institution":"Universidad de Valparaíso","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Catalina","middleName":"","lastName":"Gonzáez-Hidalgo","suffix":""},{"id":361643613,"identity":"c8312346-08d2-4e41-b40d-66a407dc4d5a","order_by":1,"name":"Fernando Rojas","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA2klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBAC9gYwxQwmDRgYbEA04wF8WngOoGpJAzOI1wIEh4nQwt777MHPHdZyDNKHDxT8+HM+ccMB5gf4tfAcNzfsPZNuzMCXlmDY23YbqIXNAK8We4k0NgnetsOJDTw8Bga8DbcTZzbwEHCY/DM2yb9QLYZ//pwjQosEG5s0zBZjHrYDif0MhLTwpLFJy7alG7PxsCUYy7YlG/czE/ALD/sxNsm3bdZy/DzMxwzf/LGTbWNvfvgAnxY4YAMiAzCLmYBKZMBMnOGjYBSMglEw4gAA0mRBztz2WAEAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5075-5968","institution":"Universidad de Valparaíso","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Fernando","middleName":"","lastName":"Rojas","suffix":""},{"id":361643614,"identity":"5708b17a-fd23-4a64-bff7-898a612d59ec","order_by":2,"name":"Silvia Sepúlveda","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidad de Valparaíso","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Silvia","middleName":"","lastName":"Sepúlveda","suffix":""},{"id":361643615,"identity":"3c1a2593-6c14-4ece-a9a7-f615c5a02dda","order_by":3,"name":"María Paz Beyer","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidad de Valparaíso","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"María","middleName":"Paz","lastName":"Beyer","suffix":""},{"id":361643616,"identity":"c9322b08-9383-48f7-8841-e948e9714f06","order_by":4,"name":"Rossana Bastías","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidad de Valparaíso","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Rossana","middleName":"","lastName":"Bastías","suffix":""},{"id":361643617,"identity":"daf8c856-4a3a-42c5-9f67-4f5a9308a7dc","order_by":5,"name":"Marcela Escobar","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidad de Valparaíso","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Marcela","middleName":"","lastName":"Escobar","suffix":""},{"id":361643618,"identity":"8a710f8d-f864-4b60-be8f-4cd45d91f0d2","order_by":6,"name":"Carlos Vergara","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Carlos","middleName":"","lastName":"Vergara","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-10-02 21:15:38","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5194927/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5194927/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":66042238,"identity":"42bc6016-68d9-463b-908c-7d0816d56442","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-07 06:12:33","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":230199,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ScoreSustentabilidadAlimentos.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5194927/v1_covered_bf8939a0-f700-4994-9c2e-394c13a408d1.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll participants involved were informed of the study’s purpose, and consent to participate and publish was obtained. 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This label was developed from the perspective of human nutrition and public health, but it does not address the impact that food production, distribution, and consumption have on the environment.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eObjective: \u003c/strong\u003eTo create environmental sustainability labels for foods based on a sustain- ability score.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSubjects and Methods:\u003c/strong\u003e A qualitative-quantitative study was conducted. Using focus groups (FGs) with 24 experts, sustainabil- ity dimensions were defined, and a score was estimated using the Robust Compromise (RoCo) Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) statistical method. 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The foods with the high- est sustainability were: Fruits, Tea, Vegetables, and Eggs. 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