Environmental impacts associated with UPF consumption: which food chain stages matter the most? Findings from a representative sample of French adults

Background Scientific literature about environmental pressures associated with dietary patterns has been considerably growing over the last decade. However, few studies have analyzed the environmental impacts associated with the consumption of ultra-processed food (UPF) and which steps of the food system that contribute most to environmental pressures. The objective of this study was to investigate, in a representative sample of the adult French population, the environmental pressures of diets according to UPF consumption. Methods The study was conducted in 2,121 adults of the French nationally representative survey INCA 3. Food intakes were analyzed to define the %UPF (in weight) in the diet according to NOVA classification. Using detailed environmental data of foods of Agribalyse, we could assess the contribution of UPF to 14 indicators of environmental pressure and details those related to the stage of the food consumed: production, processing, storage, packaging, transport and retailing at the food level. The data was described according to quintiles of % of UPF in the diet and analyzed using crude and energy-adjusted models. Results Compared to low consumers of UPF (Q1, median UPF= 7%), high consumers (Q5, median UPF= 35%) had a higher energy intake (+22%) which came along with different environmental pressures (e.g. +15% greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe), +17% land use, -7% water use and +8% cumulative energy demand). Higher pressures could be ascribed to higher energy. However, the processing and packaging stages were significant contributor to energy demand. In Q5, contributions of the UPF category to total pressure were 35%, 39%, 28% and 42% for GHGe, water use land use, and energy demand, respectively, while ranging from 11 to 15% in Q1. Conclusions Diets rich in UPF, compared to low, were overall associated with intensification in GHGe, land use, and energy demand and with higher contribution of post-farm stages, in particular processing regarding energy demand. Highlights ### Competing Interest Statement FM was the scientific leader of a PhD project funded until October 2021 in part by a research contract with Terres Univia, the French Interbranch organization for plant oils and proteins. The other authors declared no conflict of interest. ### Funding Statement none ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: The study used public french data from the INCA study 3 : https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/donnees-de-consommations-et-habitudes-alimentaires-de-letude-inca-3/. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable. Yes Data availability: Data described in the manuscript are available at: https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/donnees-de-consommations-et-habitudes-alimentaires-de-letude-inca-3/.