
Ximena C. Schmidt RiveraBrunel University London · Institute of Energy Futures
Ximena C. Schmidt Rivera
BSc, MSc (eq.), PhD
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68
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Introduction
Publications
Publications (68)
The transition towards a circular economy in the food system is posited as way to harmonize the provision safe, ample and accessible food to a growing population with the reduction the food system’s widespread impact on natural resources, the environment, and human health. Within the context of circular food innovation, there is an abundance of ass...
This case study examines annual food procurement and waste data from a fine dining restaurant to establish a comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) baseline, identify emission hotspots, and verify food waste reduction targets set previously by the restaurant.
A total of 6,282 individual food purchases were reviewed, standardized, and conve...
Food insecurity is a global concern, as set in the Sustainable Development Goal 2. Previous research has focused on the demographics and socioeconomic determinants of food insecurity, while little attention has been paid to the role of social ties. Using a national representative survey of Chile, that includes a questionnaire to measure prevalence...
Background and aims: Trade organisations and environmental NGOs increasingly target chefs to become actors of change in the food system for sustainable and healthy diets. Yet we know little about chefs' skills required to reduce food waste and GHG emissions associated with menus. This research aims to assess the state of the art in relation to chef...
Chefs have been targeted as actors of change in the food system for sustainable and healthy diets. Yet we know little about chefs' skills required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) associated with menus.
A rapid review (RR) carried out in January 2024 explored peer-reviewed research linked to chefs, GHGE and the food system to develop an u...
Background and aims: Trade organisations and environmental NGOs increasingly target chefs to become actors of change in the food system for sustainable and healthy diets. Yet we know little about chefs' pro-environmental behaviours and attitudes towards reducing food waste and GHG emissions of food offers. This research aims to assess the state of...
Within the United Kingdom, most medical waste is incorrectly classified as hazardous and disposed of via incineration or alternative treatment. Currently, no research has been conducted on why such a large quantity of medical waste is erroneously segregated. This pilot study explores the barriers to correct segregation with the aim to decrease the...
Objective:This study evaluated the independent and combined environmental impacts of the consumption of beef and ultra-processed foods in Brazil.
Design:Cross-sectional study.
Setting:Brazil.
Participants:We used food purchases data from a national household budget survey conducted between July 2017 and July 2018, representing all Brazilian househo...
Sustainable food production and consumption are key to face the current climate and environmental crisis, hence innovation to produce food with lower impacts are taking more attention. Controlled environment agriculture, also known as vertical farming, is seen as one innovative approach to reduce impacts of producing food while also improving food...
In the year 2020, the Farm to Fork strategy was established intending to approach and mitigate many environmental challenges like food waste. To develop food loss and waste reduction and management strategies, there is a need to correctly diagnose the current situation. Argentina is a country ranked number 10 in global food production, with 214.3 m...
Introduction
FoodEx2 consists of a vocabulary of foods with assigned codes, allowing the classification and description of foods reported in different types of data (food consumption, composition, or production method) [1]. At least 56 food consumption databases have been coded with FoodEx2 [2]. The linkage of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) databa...
Aimed at improving the quality of school meals, the Sustainable School Program (SSP) implemented low-carbon meals, twice a week, in 155 schools of 4 municipalities, reaching more than 32,000 students. This study evaluated the environmental impact and nutritional viability of this intervention for this population. The 15 most repeated meals from the...
Background
The consumption of ultra-processed foods has increased worldwide and has been related to the occurrence of obesity and other non-communicable diseases. However, little is known about the environmental effects of ultra-processed foods. We aimed to assess the temporal trends in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), water footprint, and ecologic...
Objetivo: Avaliar o impacto ambiental da dieta brasileira e a influência que o consumo de carne bovina e de alimentos ultraprocessados exerce naquele impacto. Métodos: Utilizou-se dados de aquisição domiciliar de alimentos da Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares 2017-2018. Foram calculadas as pegadas de carbono e hídrica da aquisição total de alimento...
To enhance sustainability, the food system requires shifts in production, processing and supply. Ideally, a sustainable food system should operate, not only to protect the biosphere, but also to provide nutritious, high-quality food, support social values, an equitable economy, and human and animal health. It should be governed responsibly within a...
Achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 requires a step-change in resource management, and the utilisation of organic waste is currently an untapped opportunity in Latin America. This study carries out a quantitative and qualitative assessment of organic waste-to-energy potentials for the Chilean context. First, it produces a comprehens...
The current pilot study explored food insecurity, food waste, food related behaviours and cooking confidence of UK consumers following the COVID-19 lockdown.
Data were collected from 473 UK based consumers (63% female) from in March 2020. A cross-sectional online survey measured variables including, food insecurity prevalence, self-reported food wa...
Purpose
The study aims to compare survey recruitment rates between Facebook, Twitter and Qualtrics and to assess the impact of recruitment method on estimates of energy content, food safety, carbon footprint and animal welfare across 29 foods.
Design/methodology/approach
Two versions of an online survey were developed on the citizen science platfo...
In light of the climate change, interdisciplinary solutions are needed to deal with end-of-life lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) that are used in Electric vehicles (EVs) in order to avoid a waste problem in the future. Building on both legal and technical perspectives, this paper criticises the current EU and UK frameworks and policies on batteries was...
Food systems are significant sources of global greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE). Since emission intensity varies greatly between different foods, changing food choices towards those with lower GHGE could make an important contribution to mitigating climate change. Public engagement events offer an opportunity to communicate these multifaceted issues...
In this paper, we discuss the use of natural language processing (NLP) and artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse nutritional and sustainability aspects of recipes and food. We present the state of the art and some use cases, followed by a discussion of challenges. Our perspective on addressing these is that while they typically have a technical n...
With an increasing focus on the uptake of healthy and sustainable diets, a growing body of research has explored consumer perceptions and understanding of the environmental impacts and safety of foods. However, this body of research has used a wide range of methods to recruit participants, which can influence the results obtained. The current resea...
Background:
We aim to assess the trends in the consumption of unprocessed or minimally processed, processed, and ultra-processed animal products, and the environmental impacts associated with them.
Methods:
We have used data from five Brazilian Household Budget Surveys (1987, 1996, 2003, 2009, 2017). Animal products (beef, pork, poultry, eggs, fis...
Food is widely acknowledged as a major contributor to climate change but estimates of food-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions frequently consider supply chain stages only up to the farm gate or regional distribution centres. Here we estimate GHG emissions associated with different cooking methods and appliances in the UK. Data on current cookin...
Food is widely acknowledged as a significant contributor to climate change. Yet, estimates of food-related greenhouse gas emissions frequently consider supply chain stages only up to farm gate or regional distribution centres. Here, we estimate greenhouse gas emissions associated with different cooking methods and appliances in the UK. Data on curr...
Background:
Ultra-processed foods (UPF) have been associated with major
diet-related public health issues that share underlying drivers
with climate change. Both challenges require major changes to
the food system and so the potential benefits to health and the
environment present a double motivation for transformation.
Our aim is to assess the imp...
There is a food knowledge disconnect between the food research community, and the general population. Food experts know detailed information about foods, but there is a lack of understanding about what citizens know. Citizen science has been used successfully in various fields however, is virtually absent from food research. This pilot study explor...
The cooking of food is a nexus point for multiple issues. Cooking is intertwined with dietary choices, affects the nutrient content and environmental impacts of food, and is linked to time use and gender roles in the home. Due to its intersectionality, changing cooking practices can potentially impact upon multiple Sustainable Development Goals. Ho...
Spent coffee grounds (SCGs) have a potential to be used as a feedstock for higher value-added products, such as biodiesel. However, the environmental implications of the valorisation of SCGs are largely unknown. This study evaluates the life cycle environmental impacts of utilising SCGs for biodiesel production in comparison with the widely used di...
Food systems contribute to up to 37% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and emissions are increasing. Since the emissions vary greatly between different foods, citizens’ choices can make a big difference to climate change. Public engagement events are opportunities to communicate these complex issues: to raise awareness about the impact of citizen...
Cooking practices play a pivotal role in a healthy diet and lifestyle. Cooking is intertwined with dietary choices. To achieve a sustainable food system, we need to change how we cook and prepare food, along with the time we use to prepare and cook food.
Cooking practices involve a variety of parameters such as cooking times, method of cooking (e.g...
Information related to greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) embodied in the production and consumption of multiple foods (including meat and dairy) have become more available in recent years thanks to literature reviews and meta-analysis of life cycle assessment literature. However, there is limited matching of this information to dietary databases. Thi...
Obesity and overweight in children and adolescents have reached 28% in the UK in
2016 (Health Survey for England, 2017).
§ The increasing number of childhood obesity might also have serious implications on
the environment.
§ The food system currently contributes to about a quarter of global greenhouse gas
emissions (GHGE), with generational and ind...
Food systems currently contribute about a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), with generational and individual dietary choices influencing the magnitude of associated GHGE [1]. The exhibit Take a Bite out of Climate Change addresses this issue developing outreach and educational materials to engage with the public in order to raise a...
Although there is a growing body of literature on the environmental impacts of food, virtually none of the studies has addressed baby foods. Therefore, this work explored the life cycle environmental impacts of different ready-made baby foods, both at the level of individual meals and their combinations within a weekly menu. Twelve different meals...
Convenience is one of the main determinants of modern society where products, such as ready-made meals, play a key role. However, the continuing growth of this market has raised environmental concerns, which have not been well studied yet. This paper evaluates life cycle environmental impacts of meals consumed in the UK, the second largest consumer...
Reducing food waste and increasing resource efficiency have become worldwide targets as highlighted by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 – Responsible consumption and production. Food packaging, in particular plastics-based, is a key component of food-related waste: packaging increases the amount of total waste, but also reduces po...
Scant information is available on the environmental impacts of baby food. Therefore, the aim of this work is to evaluate the life cycle environmental sustainability of one of the most common baby foods consumed for breakfast – ready-made porridge – and to identify options for improvements. Two variants of the product are considered: dry and wet por...
The sustainability benefits of using solar cookers in developing countries have been analysed widely in the literature. However, the sustainability potential of solar cookers in developed economies has not been explored yet, which is the topic of this paper. Three types of solar cooker – box, panel and parabolic – were built as part of this researc...
This file includes further details on the home-made solar cookers, experimental data on their performance, their composition and detailed results for the scenario analysis. The Spanish electricity mix and the meteorological data used in the analysis are also included.
We are running a series of “hackathons” or “hacknights” to test and develop an open source toolkit for estimating greenhouse gas emissions from dietary databases. We have produced a preliminary homogenised set of open source tools which provide data and methods to estimate the average UK GHG per person per day as well as linking energy and nutrient...
Hydrogen could be used as a ‘cleaner’ cooking fuel, particularly in communities that rely on biomass and fossil fuels, to reduce local pollution and related health effects. However, hydrogen must be produced using sustainable feedstocks and energy sources to ensure that local impacts are not reduced at the expense of other impacts generated elsewhe...
Some of the targets included in the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12 “ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns” are aligned with the circular economy vision of decoupling economic growth from resource constraints. However, only limited guidance is available to companies on how to make circular economy operational in their activiti...
Purpose: The implementation of life cycle assessment (LCA) and carbon footprinting represents an important professional and research opportunity for chemical engineers, but this is not broadly reflected in chemical engineering curricula worldwide. This study presents the implementation of a coursework that is easy to apply, free of cost, valid worl...
Barley is an ancient crop and a great source of nutrients. It is the third largest agricultural commodity produced in Denmark and represents a relevant crop in Italy too. Due to the increasing customers awareness of sustainability issues, it has become essential to evaluate the environmental impact and the use of resources in food production and di...
This study analyses the environmental, economic and social sustainability in the UK ready-made meal sector using a life
cycle approach. Life cycle assessment, life cycle costing and social life cycle assessment have been used for these purposes.
Global warming potential (GWP) at the sectoral level is estimated at 4.94 Mt CO2 eq./yr from ‘cradle to...
Consumption of ready-made meals is growing rapidly and yet little is known about their economic and environmental impacts. This paper focuses on the economic aspects to estimate the life cycle costs, value added and consumer costs of ready-made meals, in comparison with the equivalent meals prepared at home. Their life cycle environmental impacts a...
This paper compares the life cycle environmental impacts of ready-made meals manufactured industrially with meals prepared at home from scratch. A typical roast dinner consisting of chicken meat, vegetables and tomato sauce is considered. The results suggest that the impacts of the home-made meal are lower than for the equivalent ready-made meal. F...