This document discusses metrics for measuring cultural food preferences and their relationship to biodiversity. It examines post-modern Mediterranean food trends like eating more traditional, local, and seasonal foods as well as sharing collective meals. While local food may be perceived as more environmentally-friendly, relying solely on local products could significantly limit diversity and increase prices. Labels can help maintain cultural diversity but the real social relationships between producers and consumers are also important. The document then evaluates potential metrics for cultural food preferences, including traditional food variety and diversity scores, consumption of traditional regional foods, number of local markets and outlets, food miles, and share of locally produced food. It also considers socio-cultural indicators like time spent eating meals together and preparing food from

1. Metrics of Sustainable Diets and Food Systems
Expert workshop
Biodiversity loss / Satisfaction of cultural food
preferences
Montpellier, 4th November 2014
Martine Padilla
CIHEAM-IAMM/UMR MOISA

2. (1) Satisfaction of cultural food preferences
The post-modern Mediterranean food trends go to:
✓ More traditional products
✓ More local food
✓ Local-food advocates also emphasize eating seasonal (often
meaning field-grown) and less-processed foods.
✓ Collective meals, cohesion, conviviality and commensality
Metrics of sustainable diets and food security - Martine PADILLA – Montpellier- 4-5 November 2014

3. (2) What links between Biodiversity and consumer’s
trends ?
Is local food greener? Not necessarily.
Buying local creates a closer relationship with food, neighboring
producers and seasonality, while ensuring environmental,
economic, social and health terms.
The option to consume only local products and to abstain from
trade, implies very significant sacrifices. Proponents of 100 miles
identified 3 major constraints [Montreal Eco. Institute, Feb 2010]:
- Higher prices
- Time spent to obtain and prepare food
- Lack of food diversity: traditional diets can be monotonous; it
is proved that at the scale of History, international trade has
promoted the diversification of food. However, eating local
helps to preserve rare varieties
Metrics of sustainable diets and food security - Martine PADILLA – Montpellier- 4-5 November 2014

4. (2) What links between Biodiversity and consumer’s
trends ?
Introduction of labels for consumer protection. Strong criticism regarding
the conditions for awarding the label; producers may attempt to build a
heritage, a tradition.
Labels play a role in maintaining a certain cultural diversity, perpetuating
traditions expertise. They promote the protection of local biodiversity.
More than labels, the origin of goods is important for the consumer; but
it is impossible to know the real origin of final goods.
It is the social relation, not the spatial location, that accounts for this
outcome. It's important to know how the products are farmed, how the
farm workers are treated. Interacting directly with the farmer who grows
the food creates a "standard of trust“ [DeWeerdt, Worlwatch Institute,
2013]
Metrics of sustainable diets and food security - Martine PADILLA – Montpellier- 4-5 November 2014

5. (3) How to measure cultural food preferences?
➢ Traditional Food Variety Scores (TFVS) [Roche et al.
2008] or Traditional Food Diversity Score (TFDS):
indicates the number of traditional foods consumed by
each individual in a 24-hour recall
➢ Consumption frequency of 30 traditional foods, selected
for their nutritional value from the preliminary investigation
of the traditional food system (Creed-Kanashiro et al.,
2009). This means having an inventory of traditional foods
➢ Number of direct sales outlets and farmers markets per
inhabitant
Metrics of sustainable diets and food security - Martine PADILLA – Montpellier- 4-5 November 2014

6. (3) How to measure cultural food preferences?
➢ Quantity of Food miles / product => can express the proximity
of food
➢ Share of locally produced food in the total Food => very
difficult to measure as Food systems are complex, and there
is no requirement to indicate the origin of staple foods.
➢ Number of traditional products in the Diet => Gis, controlled
appellations of origin
➢ Number of gastronomic itineraries for tourists
Metrics of sustainable diets and food security - Martine PADILLA – Montpellier- 4-5 November 2014

7. (3) How to measure cultural food preferences?
Socio-cultural indicators [Lacirignola et al, 2012]
1. In order to calculate the social aspect of food in terms
of commensality, conviviality, cohesion and collective
meals, the time for meal consumption is considered.
2. The involvement of consumer in the preparation of
food: Daily time devoted to the preparation of food
3. Traditional diets relevance: Consumption of traditional
products
4. Transmission of knowledge: Mass media activities and
products dedicated to traditional food
Metrics of sustainable diets and food security - Martine PADILLA – Montpellier- 4-5 November 2014