2009 Volume 20 Issue 2 Pages 119-132
In an effort to bring about the promotion of sustainable consumption, a thorough evaluation of those environmental impacts that are either directly or indirectly linked to households and lifestyle is a key concern. Daily food habits are closely linked to overall household consumption and largely affect environmental conditions. In Japan, where eating trends have changed dramatically over the last thirty years, more and more consumers are opting to replace home-cooked meals with already prepared take-home meals, frozen/pre-packaged meals for re-heating, or dining out instead. These changes in the consumer dietary lifestyle have a certain degree of negative effects on the environment. The extension of the Waste Input-Output (WIO) model was applied with the aim of evaluating the environmental impacts of such changes in dietary habit; and the impacts related to carbon dioxide emissions, landfill content, and energy consumption have thereby been determined. Results indicate that meals cooked at home are the more environmentally friendly meal. In terms of carbon dioxide emissions and energy consumption, home-cooked meal replacements have the greatest impact on the environment; and in terms of landfill space, the habit of dining out holds the greatest adverse impact. These results encourage us to promote the idea of a return to home-cooking as a means for achieving a more sustainable system of consumption.
