By making the environmental impact of thousands of food products comparable and accessible, the database enables more informed choices and supports the transition to a more sustainable food system.

The Dutch National Environmental Food Database is being developed as a key building block for increasing transparency on the environmental impact of food in the Netherlands. The project is carried out in collaboration with RIVM and led from Wageningen University & Research, receiving technical support from Mérieux Nutrisciences | Blonk. It aims to provide a harmonized and scientifically robust overview of the environmental footprint of food products consumed in the Netherlands.

The need for such a database arises from growing policy and societal ambitions to make food systems more sustainable, while also enabling informed decision-making by consumers, businesses, and governments. Although Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) provides a well-established method to quantify environmental impact, its application across the full range of food products has so far been fragmented. Existing datasets often differ in methodology, scope, and data quality, making comparisons between product categories difficult and limiting their use for policy and market applications.

The development of this database addresses the gap by developing a comprehensive and harmonized database covering approximately 3,000 food products available in Dutch retail. Building on earlier work by RIVM, the database expands both the scope and the methodological consistency of environmental impact assessments. A key objective is alignment with European developments, in particular the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) framework, while also providing a solution where category-specific rules (PEFCRs) are not yet available. This ensures that impacts can be compared not only within product categories, but also across different types of food.

This results entail a consistent set of environmental indicators, including greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use, and other impact categories, as well as insights into hotspots along the supply chain.

Beyond its technical development, the database is designed to serve a wide range of applications. It provides a reference point for companies to benchmark their products, supports the development of environmental labelling initiatives, and enables policymakers to monitor and evaluate the impact of food-related policies. It also creates new opportunities for research into sustainable and healthy diets, by linking environmental impact data to food consumption and nutritional information. In this way, the database contributes to a more integrated understanding of sustainability across the food system.

The project is currently in its final development phase, focusing on completing the data, ensuring data quality and transparency, and preparing the database for publication and future updates. At the same time, connections are being established with related initiatives, both nationally and internationally, to support broader harmonization and uptake.

My role: As project lead, I am responsible for coordinating the overall development of the database and ensuring alignment between methodological, technical, and stakeholder requirements. This includes managing collaboration between project partners, overseeing the development of the PEF-aligned methodology, and guiding the integration of data into tooling at Mérieux Nutrisciences | Blonk. A key part of my role is connecting this work to broader initiatives—such as environmental labelling, policy development, and international harmonization—so that the database can function as a practical tool for decision-making across the food system.