Multicriteria Measures to Assess the Sustainability of Diets: A Systematic Review.

Abstract

Context: Assessing the overall sustainability of a diet is a challenging undertaking requiring a holistic approach capable of addressing the multicriteria nature of this concept.

Objective: The aim was to identify and summarize the multicriteria measures used to assess the sustainability characteristics of diets reported at the individual level by healthy adults.

Data sources: Articles were identified via PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. The search strategy consisted of key words and MeSH terms, and was concluded in September 2022, covering references in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Data extraction: This systematic review followed the PRISMA guidelines. The search identified 5663 references, from which 1794 were duplicates. Two reviewers independently screened the titles and abstracts of each of the 3869 records and the full-text of the 144 references selected. Of these, 7 studies met the inclusion criteria.

Data analysis: A total of 6 multicriteria measures were identified: 3 different Sustainable Diet Indices, the Quality Environmental Costs of Diet, the Quality Financial Costs of Diet, and the Environmental Impact of Diet. All of these incorporated a health/nutrition dimension, while the environmental and economic dimensions were the second and the third most integrated, respectively. A sociocultural sustainability dimension was included in only 1 of the measures.

Conclusion: Despite some methodological concerns in the development and validation process of the identified measures, their inclusion is considered indispensable in assessing the transition towards sustainable diets in future studies.

Systematic review registration: PROSPERO registration no. CRD42022358824.