Ecodesign of food, bioproducts, bioprocesses and food processes

Food systems face many challenges in their transition to greater sustainability: global food security, climate change, human health... In environmental terms, the food sector contributes to pollution, climate change, biodiversity loss and resource scarcity.

As a result, the design of food and bioproducts must be based on an eco-design approach. The eco-design of a food or bioproduct aims to consider environmental issues and provide relevant solutions right from the product design stage, in order to implement better environmental practices throughout the various stages of production: agriculture (e.g. agro-ecology), processing (e.g. choosing a technology with the lowest impact), and logistics (e.g. optimizing transport).

Transformation processes are at the heart of this approach, both for the (negative) environmental impacts they generate (energy and water consumption, waste generation, losses, etc.) and for their intrinsic function of transforming raw materials into bioproducts, ingredients or quality foods with nutritional, sensory and functional properties, resulting in added value for the raw material (positive impact).

The ecodesign approach presented in this article aims to improve the environmental performance of foods, bioproducts, bioprocesses and food processes (or food (bio)processes), while taking into account their quality of use. First, the role of ecodesign in the transition to more sustainable food systems is clarified. The ecodesign approach is then presented step by step. This approach is then illustrated by the ecodesign of a stabilized lactic bacteria production system. The article concludes with a brief discussion of the advantages, limitations and future prospects of this approach.

A glossary of terms is provided at the end of the article.