Energy intake
ECO-SCORE® by Beelong relates the environmental impact of food products to their energy (kcal) rather than their weight (kg). Indeed, the environmental impact of a food product, in particular its carbon footprint, is most often tied to its weight. However, this does not allow for a clear comparison of foods based on their primary function: feeding the population. relates the environmental impact of food products to their energy (kcal) rather than their weight (kg). Indeed, the environmental impact of a food product, in particular its carbon footprint, is most often tied to its weight. However, this does not allow for a clear comparison of foods based on their primary function: feeding the population.
Une approche par kilocalories permet de :
- Make relevant comparisons between different product categories
- Aligner les recommandations avec la définition de la sécurité alimentaire de l’Organisation des Nations Unies pour l’alimentation et l’agriculture (FAO)
ECO-SCORE® by Beelong is intended to guide the consumption of food products, the recommendations should enable the consumer to eat in an eco-responsible way whilst still eating enough. However, not all foods have the same energy content. In the food industry, the energy intake and the energy needed by the body to maintain its functions is always expressed in “calories”, and measured in kilocalories (kcal).
An eco-friendly diet should go hand in hand with meeting one’s energy needs. Although energy needs do depend on age, gender, activity and physical condition, on average everyone needs approximately 2,000 kcal/day (OBSAN, 2020). Thus, for the world’s population to eat sustainably without going hungry, these 2,000 kcal/day should be as eco-friendly as possible. In other words, ECO-SCORE® by Beelong encourages the consumption of as many “eco-friendly calories” as possible.
Par exemple, si l’on remplace 100 g de poulet (163 kcal) par 100 g de tomates (21 kcal), il faudrait ingérer 8 fois plus de tomates soit 800 g pour obtenir le même apport énergétique. Ce qui multiplierait par 8 les impacts environnementaux de la tomate, par comparaison à son apport énergétique.
Weighting the environmental impact of a product by its energy intake instead of its weight can thus reduce certain biases when comparing products from different categories. Therefore, ECO-SCORE® by Beelong makes it possible to tie environmental performance to food security and sufficiency.
L’expression de l’impact environnemental de l’alimentation par unité de poids (kg) ou par unité d’apport énergétique (kcal) a une influence sur l’ordre de grandeur des diverses catégories de produits. Par exemple, l’impact environnemental de produits riches en calories (céréales, noix, huiles, beurre, etc.) est légèrement corrigé par rapport à l’impact environnemental de produits pauvres en calories (salade, tomates, concombre, etc.).