RT Journal Article
T1 Crafting a water footprint database of foods in Spain to drive sustainable consumption
A1 Cambeses Franco, Cristina
A1 Parejo Ramírez, Eduardo
A1 González García, Sara
K1 Water scarcity
K1 Food consumption
K1 Spanish fare
K1 Environment
K1 Diet
AB Food, a cornerstone of human existence, plays a central role in health, social progress and cultural identity. Despite its vital role, the production and consumption of food has a significant environmental footprint, requiring metrics such as water footprints for sustainable practices. The water footprint of a food product is the amount of water that is consumed and polluted in all of the processing stages. This paper introduces the first comprehensive database of water footprints for 158 food commodities commonly consumed in Spain. Developed using a standardized methodology, the database integrates up-to-date production and trade data (2022) with water footprint data from the global assessment by Mekonnen and Hoekstra, 2010, Mekonnen and Hoekstra, 2011, brought to the same reference year using the fast-track method. It represents a novel approach in that it covers a wide range of food categories, specific food types and varieties, while also taking into account local agricultural practices, and climatic and geographical factors, providing a highly detailed analysis of both the imported and exported water footprints associated with each. By facilitating the evaluation of the influence of dietary modifications on global water scarcity, this database provides a foundation for the formulation of evidence-based policies aimed at fostering sustainable food systems.
PB Elsevier
SN 0195-9255
YR 2025
FD 2025-08-14
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/43732
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/43732
LA eng
NO Cambeses-Franco, C., Parejo-Ramírez, E., & González-García, S. (2026). Crafting a water footprint database of foods in Spain to drive sustainable consumption. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 116, 108120. 10.1016/j.eiar.2025.108120
NO This research was supported by the project Transition to Sustainable Agri-Food Sector Bundling Life Cycle Assessment and Ecosystem Services Approaches (ALISE) (TED2021-130309B-I00), funded by MCIN/ AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and the European Union NextGener- ationEU/PRTR.
NO C.C-F. and S.G.-G. belong to the Galician Competitive Research Group (GRC ED431C 2017/29) and to the Cross-disciplinary Research in Environmental Technologies (CRETUS Research Center, ED431E 2018/ 01). All these programs are co-funded by FEDER (EU).
DS Minerva
RD 24 abr 2026