A Foodprint framework for assessing food sustainability

The intensification of agricultural practices to meet rising food demand is a major driver of environmental degradation. Current dietary patterns exacerbate these pressures, favoring foods that are economically accessible but environmentally detrimental and nutritionally poor. This work proposes a Foodprint framework to assess diet sustainability by integrating environmental, social, and economic indicators. The framework´s development is illustrated through its application to Western, Mediterranean, Atlantic, and Mexican diets, which were compared with the Planetary Health diet. An integrative Foodprint Index was calculated for each diet, revealing that the Western diet had the highest Foodprint, while the Mexican diet had the lowest. The Foodprint framework offers a practical tool for guiding sustainable food policies and dietary transitions. • A comprehensive framework for diet sustainability assessment is developed. • Western and Atlantic diets have the highest Foodprints, from environmental factors. • The Mediterranean diet´s Foodprint was driven by its high cost. • The Mexican diet is low-cost and low-impact but falls short on caloric intake. • The framework informs trade-off analysis to guide dietary transition policies.