Reducing the environmental impact of the Norwegian protein food consumption: the effects of switching from the current diet to a diet with more plant protein.

Purpose The main purpose of the study was to study the environmental impact of 4 plant protein products (faba beans, field peas, oats and rapeseed press-cake) that can be grown in Norway and compare with the impact of the current average protein food consumption in Norway. Methods Environmental LCA was used to analyze the 19 currently most consumed protein food sources in Norway and 4 plant protein sources. LCIA methods from CML, ReCiPe and UseTox were used to cover a wide range of impacts on the environment, resource use and health impacts. The studied system was from cradle to after primary processing. Results and discussion The average environmental impact of the studied plant protein products was much lower than the average protein consumed in Norway. The ratio of impact varied from 6 to 32 times pr kg protein for the different indicators. This shows that by shifting the diet towards more plant protein can give a large impact on the environment and health, and not only for the climate. The results also indicate that such a shift would not cause a reduction in nutritional content of the diet. Limitations of the study is that the effect of protein quality, antinutrients and pre-crop effects could not be included. Conclusions Plant protein products grown in Norway has a significantly lower environmental and health impact than the current protein consumption which is dominated by protein of animal origin (75 %), A shift towards more plant protein would improve environmental sustainability and consumers health, while probably not decreasing the overall nutritional content of the diet.