How Sustainable is my Food?

This module is aimed for anyone passionate about making informed and responsible choices within the food system. It is particularly relevant for individuals pursuing careers in environmental science, agriculture, nutrition, public policy, and sustainability, as well as those working in food production, retail, and supply chain management. Anyone with an interest in understanding the environmental and social impacts of food—from climate-conscious consumers to advocates for ethical food systems—will benefit from the critical skills and insights offered by this course. Whether you aim to reduce your personal carbon footprint, influence policy, or drive change in the food industry, this module provides essential tools and knowledge to support sustainable decision-making in food consumption and production.

On completion of this module you should be able to:

• Explain the difference between a food item, a meal and a diet
• Outline the reasons for considering both sustainability and nutrition when evaluating which foods to eat
• Explain the environmental impacts caused by the food system, and the choice of foods you eat
• Record and evaluate the food you eat and identify options to reduce the adverse impacts of your food 

Indicative Module Content:

• A working definition of 'sustainable'. Strong vs weak sustainability. Relative vs absolute impact. The donut: from the social floor to the environmental ceiling.
• Recoding the food you eat. Keeping a food diary. Identifying foods, and recording what is eaten (type, amount).
• Impact of the food system and specific foods on soil and land. Soil quality, soil loss, land occupation, land degradation, biodiversity.
• Impact of the food system and specific foods on the atmosphere. Climate and air quality impacts. Causes and adaptation.
• Impact of the food system and specific foods on the hydrosphere (water). Water quality, disruption of the hydrological cycle, irrigation.
• The role of nutrition and its relationship with environmental impacts. Nutritional Life Cycle Assessment.
• Estimating the impact of a food item, meal and diet. The EAT-Lancet report and beyond.
• Fair access to food: food deserts, pricing and fair share. Cheap food vs the cost of producing food. Access to foods.
• How sustainable is the food we eat? Using the diet recorded by the class, an assessment will be made of whether the food eaten is sustainable.
• Food waste
• Guest speakers from NGOs, industry, research, as time permits

This module offers learners a unique opportunity to gain a deep understanding of food sustainability and the complex, interconnected impacts of the global food system. By analyzing the carbon footprint, water footprint, and land use associated with food production and consumption, learners will develop practical skills to assess the sustainability of their own diets. They will gain insights into how individual and collective food choices influence climate change, biodiversity, and resource distribution, both locally and globally. With these skills and insights, learners gain valuable insights to become advocates for responsible and sustainable food choices in both their professional and personal lives.

Autonomous Student learning (72%), Lectures (24%), Tutorial (4%). Total Student effort: 100 hours. 

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:

1. Lectures
2. Data collection by the class
3. Analysis of the data collected to answer the question
4. Different communication methods

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations 
Not applicable.

Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable.

Assessment includes:

• Assignment (Including Essay): Collect a food diary for 7 days, grouped by food item, meal and diet (25% of final grade)
• Assignment (Including Essay): Calculate selected impacts and nutrition of the food recorded in the food diary (25%)
• Assignment (Including Essay): Information poster (A4 page, 1 'typical' meal) to convey the sustainability and nutrition of that meal to the general public (25%)
• Assignment (Including Essay): 2-minute video, aimed at your peers, describing the best options for reducing the adverse impact of your diet and explaining the reasons why. (25%)

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

Alternative Proteins for Sustainable Food Systems (micro-credential)

Please note: Learners can avail of only one form of funding per application. 

Micro-Credentials Learner Fee Subsidy-Human Capital Initiative Pillar 3

The HCI Pillar 3 Micro-credential Learner Fee Subsidy has been introduced to enable more learners to address critical skills gaps and engage with lifelong learning through micro-credentials. The HCI Pillar 3 Micro-credential Learner Fee Subsidy is funded by Higher Education Authority (HEA) and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. 

HCI Micro-credential Learner Fee Subsidies are available on identified micro-credentials only from March 2024 until October 2025. Funded places are limited and course providers will administer the subsidy on a first come first serve basis.

Please see Eligibility Criteria for further information.    

If you have any questions about this micro-credential, or would like to speak to a UCD staff member, please contact (opens in a new window)microcredentials@ucd.ie.