Elsevier Environmental Assessment and Management in the Food Industry: Life Cycle Assessment and Related Approaches (Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science, Technology and Nutrition)

The agriculture and food sectors have a significant impact on the environment. Producers and processors are increasingly aiming to meet the needs of food consumers in an environmentally-sustainable manner. This book considers current and emerging methods the food industry can use to assess and manage its environmental impact. An introductory section reviews the impacts of food production and processing. Following chapters concentrate on the important technique of life cycle assessment (LCA) and other related methods that can be used to assess sustainability. The final section describes applications of these techniques in the food industry and best environmental management practices. Contents: Part 1 Environmental impacts of food production and processing: Improving nutrient management in agriculture to reduce eutrophication, acidification and climate change; Increasing the efficiency of water use in crop production. Part 2 Life cycle assessment of food production and processing: Life cycle assessment (LCA) of food production and processing: an introduction; Methodology for life cycle assessment; Challenges relating to data and system delimitation in life cycle assessments of food products; Challenges in assessing the environmental impacts of crop production and horticulture; Complexities in assessing the environmental impacts of livestock products; Challenges in assessing the environmental impacts of aquaculture and fisheries. Part 3 Current and future applications of life cycle assessment and related approaches: Towards sustainable industrial food production using life cycle assessment approaches; Addressing land use and ecotoxicological impacts in life-cycle assessments of food production technologies; Combining life-cycle assessment of food products with economic tools; Inclusion of social aspects in life cycle assessment of food; Ecodesign of food products; Footprinting methods for assessment of the environmental impacts of food production and processing; Carbon footprinting and carbon labelling of food products; Sustainability indicators for the food supply chain. Part 4 Environmental management in the food industry: Establishing an environmental management system in the food industry; Environmental training for the food industry; Eco-labelling of agricultural food products.