Uncovering the gap: Assessing the compliance of the canadian food availability with dietary recommendations and its impact on the environment

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the alignment of the Canadian food supply to the recommended daily food intake. The annual supply data of 92 foods per Canadian resident from 1961 to 2019 was collected and evaluated. The adherence of the average total food supply (kg/capita/day) for the 58 years to the Canada Food Guide and the EAT-Lancet reference diet was assessed. A trend analysis of the food supply over the 58 years was also conducted. The environmental impact of the average food supply (kg/capita/year) was also estimated employing publicly available global averages of impact values for food crops. The predominant result was an insufficient daily per capita supply of nuts (−86 %), legumes (−71 %), vegetables (−5 %), and added oils (−12 %), yet an excessive supply of red meat (+1187 %), added sugar (+255%), dairy (+138%), roots and tubers (+342%), eggs (+164) %) and chicken (+162), as revealed in comparison to the EAT-Lancet reference diet. Compared to the Canada Food Guide, the supply of red and processed meat (among foods to decrease) was higher than nuts and legumes (suggested alternative protein sources) by 457%. Also, the per capita daily food supply yielded 34 kgCO₂ eq greenhouse gas emissions, 65. m² land use, 270 gPO4eq eutrophication potential, 99,601 L water scarcity, and 2517 L water withdrawals. Considering the obtained results, low consumption adherence could be associated with the non-alignment of the food supply to these guidelines. Conformity to the recommended dietary patterns is necessary and can potentially reduce the current environmental impacts by more than 50%. Therefore, implementing steps to ensure an alignment of the food supply to the dietary recommendations is worth pursuing in national efforts toward a sustainable food system.