Grantham Scholar Fiona Graham calls for sustainable sandwiches to be more nutritious in an interview with the The London Economic.
Recent research from Fiona published in Sustainability explored the differences between sandwiches. Specifically, it examined the relationship between measures of environmental sustainability and nutrient content of sandwiches and beverages sold in a UK university café. Findings included that beef sandwiches (and milk-based drinks) have the highest environmental impact and vegan options the lowest.
However, Fiona’s research shows that vegetarian sandwiches are not always more environmentally friendly than meat. This is because vegetarian options often contained cheese, which is more damaging for the environment than chicken or eggs.
Importantly, Fiona’s work also shows that sustainable sandwiches are often not as nutritional as people may believe.
Fiona says: ‘As the climate emergency accelerates, it’s crucial that we shift towards more sustainable diets – but our study found that cafes provided fewer low impact options to choose from and those available contained fewer important micronutrients’.
If you want to read the original research then look for ‘Exploring the Relationship between Environmental Impact and Nutrient Content of Sandwiches and Beverages Available in Cafés in a UK University‘.