UK food-related greenhouse gas emissions have substantially decreased over the last two decades in response to changes in the household food baskets. The evolution of diets depends on a combination of driving forces, not necessarily acting in the same direction. We propose a decomposition of household food choices which separates changes in tastes and consumer preferences from the effects of prices, household budgets, and socio-demographic trends. More specifically, we explore to what extent these drivers facilitate or hinder the adoption of sustainable food choices. Our decomposition strategy is grounded on a theory-consistent demand system to account for substitution effects across food groups. We find that the decline in UK food-related emissions is primarily driven by reductions in household food budgets and evolving food preferences. Relative price dynamics and demographic trends act in the opposite direction, but their effect is small. Our evidence suggests that policy interventions aiming to shape consumer preferences towards more sustainable choices could be a valid instrument to further reduce food-related emissions in the UK.

由于家庭食物篮子的变化，英国与食物相关的温室气体排放量在过去二十年中大幅减少。饮食的演变取决于驱动力的组合，不一定朝同一方向起作用。我们建议分解家庭食物选择，将口味和消费者偏好的变化与价格、家庭预算和社会人口趋势的影响分开。更具体地说，我们探索这些驱动因素在多大程度上促进或阻碍了可持续食物选择的采用。我们的分解策略基于理论一致的需求系统，以解释跨食物组的替代效应。我们发现英国食品相关排放量的下降主要是由于家庭食品预算的减少和不断变化的食品偏好。相对价格动态和人口趋势的作用方向相反，但它们的影响很小。我们的证据表明，旨在塑造消费者对更可持续选择的偏好的政策干预可能是进一步减少英国食品相关排放的有效工具。