Skip to main content
NUTRITION 2026 Main banner

(OR16-05-26) Evaluating the Co-Benefits of Sustainable Diets on Carbon Footprint and Nutritional Density in Corporate Cafeterias

Monday, July 27, 2026
9:18 AM - 9:30 AM ET
Location: Maryland Ballroom D
Emerging Leaders in Nutrition Science Poster Competition

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Jee Yeon Hong, PhD

    Postdoctoral Fellow / Research Assistant Professor
    Hanyang University
    Seongdong-gu, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, Republic of Korea

    Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

    • Co-Author(s)

  • SK

    Suzy Kim

    Pulmuone, Republic of Korea

  • HJ

    Hana Jo

    Pulmuone, Republic of Korea

  • DK

    Doohyun Kim

    Pulmuone, Republic of Korea

  • EH

    Eunki Hong

    Pulmuone, Republic of Korea

Disclosure(s):
Jee Yeon Hong, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Objectives: The transition to planetary health diets is crucial for mitigating climate change and addressing nutritional deficiencies. This study quantitatively evaluated the environmental and nutritional co-benefits of sustainable versus conventional diets in a corporate cafeteria using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and a modified Nutrient-Rich Foods (NRF) 9.3 index.<

Methods: Daily menus ('General' vs. 'Sustainable') from a corporate cafeteria (Pulmuone Institute of Technology, South Korea) were analyzed. Carbon footprint (kg CO2eq/serving) was calculated using a database of 572 ingredients. Nutritional density per 100 kcal was assessed via the NRF 9.3 score, balancing 9 qualifying and 3 disqualifying nutrients. Metrics were compared using independent t-tests, and environmental-nutritional trade-offs were mapped via quadrant analysis. A 5,000-iteration Monte Carlo simulation estimated 95% confidence intervals (CI) for daily carbon emissions (3 meals/day).

Results: Sustainable diets had a significantly lower carbon footprint than general diets (1.29 vs. 1.82 kg CO2eq/serving; p< 0.001) and higher nutritional density (NRF 9.3 score: 35.27 vs. 10.78; p< 0.001). They achieved higher qualifying nutrient scores while safely limiting disqualifying ones. Quadrant analysis clustered sustainable diets in the optimal 'high-nutrition, low-carbon' zone. Monte Carlo simulations projected daily emissions of 3.89 kg CO2eq (95% CI: 3.10-4.69) for the sustainable diet, substantially mitigating impacts compared to 5.45 kg CO2eq (95% CI: 4.00-6.86) for the general diet.

Conclusions: Implementing sustainable diets in corporate cafeterias yields significant co-benefits, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by ~30% per meal while tripling nutrient density. This provides data-driven evidence for adopting sustainable food systems to promote both human and environmental health.

Funding Sources: This research was supported by Pulmuone and the Sejong Science Fellowship funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea (No. RS-2024-00340840).