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

Life cycle assessment (LCA) of production and processing in the food industry is an important tool for improving sustainability. Environmental assessment and management in the food industry reviews the advantages, challenges and different applications of LCA and related methods for environmental assessment, as well as key aspects of environmental management in this industry sector.

Part one discusses the environmental impact of food production and processing, addressing issues such as nutrient management and water efficiency in agriculture. Chapters in Part two cover LCA methodology and challenges, with chapters focusing on different food industry sectors such as crop production, livestock and aquaculture. Part three addresses the applications of LCA and related approaches in the food industry, with chapters covering combining LCA with economic tools, ecodesign of food products and footprinting methods of assessment, among other topics. The final part of the book concentrates on environmental management in the food industry, including contributions on training, eco-labelling and establishing management systems.

With its international team of editors and contributors, Environmental assessment and management in the food industry is an essential reference for anyone involved in environmental management in the food industry, and for those with an academic interest in sustainable food production.

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.

Dr Ulf Sonesson work for the internationally-renowned Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology (SIK). Dr Sonesson is noted for his pioneering work in such areas as life cycle assessment.
Dr Johanna Berlin is a researcher in sustainable food production at SIK - the Swedish Institute of Food and Biotechnology, Sweden.
Dr Friederike Ziegler is a researcher in sustainable food production at SIK - the Swedish Institute of Food and Biotechnology, Sweden.