Balancing trade-offs between nutritional quality, consumer acceptability and climate impact across a spectrum of chili con carne formulations: from plant-based to hybrid.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Transitioning to sustainable food consumption, through nutritious and low carbon diets, is essential to address climate and health challenges. Current trends indicate an increase of plant-based meals in schools. However, these climate-friendly options are not consistently well-received by students and often fail to meet dietary iron requirements, particularly for adolescent girls. This study aims to develop a methodology for creating sustainable school meal recipes that balance absorbable iron, carbon footprint, and taste preferences.

Methods

The methodology involves iterative recipe development, including cooking elaborations and consumer evaluations. A chili con carne recipe was selected as the test dish where various plant-based and meat hybrid alternatives w

SUBMITTER: Wollmar M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12678115 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature