Ecodesign of food, bioproducts, bioprocesses and food processes

Food systems face numerous challenges as they transition toward greater sustainability: global food security, climate change, human health, and more. From an environmental perspective, the food sector contributes in particular to pollution, climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource scarcity.

Therefore, the design of food and bioproducts must now necessarily be part of an eco-design approach. The eco-design of a food or bioproduct involves taking environmental issues into account and implementing relevant solutions from the product’s design phase onward, in order to apply best environmental practices throughout its various stages of production: agriculture (e.g., agroecology), processing (e.g., choosing low-impact technologies), and logistics (e.g., optimizing transportation).

Processing methods are central to this approach, both because of the (negative) environmental impacts they generate (energy and water consumption, waste generation, pollutants, etc.) and for their intrinsic role in transforming raw materials into high-quality bioproducts, ingredients, or foods with nutritional, sensory, and functional properties that add value to the raw material (positive impact).

The eco-design approach presented in this article aims to improve the environmental performance of foods, bioproducts, bioprocesses, and food processes (or (bio)food processes), while taking into account their functional quality. First, the role of eco-design in the transition toward more sustainable food systems is clarified. The eco-design approach is then presented step by step. Next, this approach is illustrated by the eco-design of a production system for stabilized lactic acid bacteria. Finally, a brief discussion of the advantages, limitations, and prospects of this approach concludes the article.

[To simplify the wording of the phrase “bioprocesses and food processes,” the term “(bio)food processes” will be used throughout this article.]