About the project
Our primary objective is to identify diets that are balanced with respect to health, environmental sustainability, consumer acceptability and affordability, and to provide evidence for transformation of existing food systems. NOR-Eden is one of our ongoing projects supporting this goal.
The NOR-Eden project is a trans-disciplinary project, crossing lines between diet, health, environment and climate change research. We aim to develop a basis for new evidence-based Norwegian dietary guidelines taking health, nutritional adequacy and sustainability aspects into account. The guidelines will be developed through modelling of scenarios and optimization estimations using a software infrastructure with integrated environmental, food and nutrient metrics. User involvement and knowledge about Norwegian food habits, food culture, agriculture, fisheries and natural resources will also inform the analysis reaching these guidelines. Through dialogue with municipalities and other actors, we will also explore how guidelines and knowledge from the NOR-Eden project can tailor and empower solutions for and transformation of the local food procurement and food served in public institutions towards a system supporting a healthy and sustainable diet.
In the NOR-Eden project, we have developed a comprehensive database of environmental indicators, encompassing CO2 equivalents, acidification, eutrophication, water use, and land use. The "Norwegian LCA Food Database" is integrated into an established infrastructure that includes data on food and nutrients (NutriFoodCalc). For a detailed description of the Norwegian LCA Food Database, version 1, please refer to Carlsen et al. (2024). Updates to the LCA Food Database and further discussions on its methodological aspects is available at: Methodological aspects of the Norwegian LCA food database and updates.
Based on knowledge about dietary habits in Norway, the infrastructure consisting of foods, nutrients and environmental impact values, and statistical modelling, we have started to explore how to compose a diet, which is environmentally sustainable, nutritional adequate and healthy in different age groups.
Impact
The NOR-Eden project aims to add knowledge needed for transformations towards environmental sustainable food systems that produce healthy foods for everyone. The project will inform policy and public health actions and thereby facilitate the Norwegian Government’s effort to comply with their commitments to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Background
Our diets and food production systems are negatively influencing both the global environment and public health. Obesity, undernutrition and climate change are the three largest health and societal challenges of the 21st century. A number of actions are needed to combat these extreme global threats, and changing eating habits and food systems are among them. Diet is the natural link between environmental sustainable food systems and human health.
In the present situation with soil degradation, water scarcity, climate change, biodiversity decline and population growth, the critical question is how to achieve environmental sustainable food systems that produce healthy foods for everyone.
Financing
This project is funded by the Research Council of Norway, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences at the University of Oslo and the Throne Holst Foundation.
Cooperation
The project is a collaboration project between the Department of Nutrition at the University of Oslo, Center for international Climate Research (CICERO), Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), SINTEF Ocean, Stockholm Resilience Centre, the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.