The health-nutrition dimension: a methodological approach to asses the nutritional sustainability of the typical agro-food products and the Mediterranean diet.

BACKGROUND
The aim of this paper is to work out a methodological approach for the evaluation nutritional sustainability of typical agro-food products, representing the Mediterranean eating habits and included in the Mediterranean food pyramid.

RESULTS
For each group of foods, were identified different suitable and easily measurable indicators. Two macro-indicators were used to assess the nutritional sustainability of each product. The first macro-indicator called "business distinctiveness" takes into account the application of different regulations and standards regarding quality, safety and traceability as well as the origin of raw materials. The second macro-indicator called "nutritional quality" assesses product nutritional quality taking into account the contents of key compounds including micronutrient and bioactive phytochemical. For each indicator was set-up a 0-10 scoring system; from 0 (unsustainable), to 10 (very sustainable) with 5 as a sustainability benchmark value. The benchmark value is the value from which a product can be considered sustainable. A simple formula has been developed to get a sustainability index.

CONCLUSION
The proposed sustainability index could be considered a useful tool to describe both qualitative and quantitative value of micronutrients and bioactive phytochemical present in foodstuffs. Furthermore, this methodological approach can be applied beyond the Mediterranean to food products in other world regions.