A new experiment explores whether people's perception of healthy food being sustainable aligns with reality.
The results show that many people connect their idea of sustainability with the healthiness of their food choices.
Here's what the specialists have found.
Researching sustainable foods
Over 5,000 people at a public canteen were asked to rate 29 meals based on how healthy and sustainable they believed the choices to be.
The researchers used a special algorithm to analyze the meal recipes and determine their values in terms of environmental sustainability and healthy eating.
The results reveal that people tended to assume that healthy food was also sustainable, but this perception did not always match the actual overlap between environmental sustainability and meal healthiness.
It was discovered that healthier foods might not always be produced using eco-friendly methods, and sustainable food could sometimes be less healthy.
Why it's important
The specialists suggest that people need better and more valid information about the sustainability and healthiness of foods.
One suggestion is to use climate or sustainability labels on food.
These labels would allow consumers to make informed decisions about their food choices while contributing to environmental protection.
Previously, we talked about shrimps.
