Mediterranean diet and sustainable food habits: The case of Neapolitan children

The Mediterranean diet (MD hereafter) is widely recognized as one of the healthiest dietary patterns, able to benefit biodiversity and food system sustainability. The study was aimed at gathering information on real children's dietary habits in Southern Italy in order: (1) to assess the current adherence to MD, which is considered as a proxy for food consumption sustainability; and (2) to give suggestions on the role of school nutrition education programs in fostering more sustainable food habits. The adherence of Neapolitan children to the MD was assessed using an ad hoc Mediterranean Diet Quality Index. Results from the Neapolitan case study demonstrate that eating habits in the area follow unhealthy and unsustainable food models, which are quite far from the traditional Mediterranean diet. The main conclusion of the paper is that a major effort should be made by the Ministry of Education, school managers and educators, in the field of food education intervention.