Nutritional Life Cycle Assessment Questionnaire for Primary Data Collection (nLCA QPDC)
Description
This multi-sheet Excel file contains the initial working draft of the Nutritional Life Cycle Assessment Questionnaire for Primary Data Collection (nLCA QPDC), a comprehensive methodological instrument developed as part of an ongoing research project focused on the ‘Holistic Sustainability Profiling of Foods, Meals, and Diets’ in low- and middle-income country contexts. The QPDC’s primary objective is to move beyond conventional LCA boundaries by capturing inventory data for a full suite of supply chain parameters – including commonly neglected ones, such as specific causes of food loss, waste treatment / disposal methods, biodiversity practices, and consumer factors like plate waste and cooking energy – into a single, standardized primary data collection exercise. It is designed to gather context-specific (i.e., subnational), all-encompassing data for conducting full-scope nLCAs of pre-defined Commodity-Location-Production System combinations (i.e., Archetypes). The questionnaire provides a sequential, full-chain framework organized into 10 detailed modules (preceded by an introductory section with user instructions), ensuring all necessary flows are covered: (1) General Information & Archetype Definition; (2) Primary Production; (3) Post-Harvest Handling & Processing; (4) Packaging; (5) Distribution & Transport; (6) Retail; (7) Home Preparation & Consumption; (8) Waste Management; (9) Data Representativeness & Quality; and (10) Additional Information & Resources. The QPDC presents several key differentiating features which distinguish it from other LCA data collection tools: • Full supply-chain granularity and reference flow tracking: The QPDC systematically captures inputs and outputs from the production unit through the consumer plate and waste management stages. Notably, it includes a detailed breakdown of food loss and waste causes across the entire life cycle. • Holistic parameter compilation: The questionnaire incorporates inventory data for infrequently captured value chain parameters crucial for holistic impact assessments. Among others, these include: (i) context-specific biodiversity and conservation practices in primary production; (ii) detailed consumer factors, such as storage conditions, cooking energy, water use, plate waste, and eating habits / patterns; (iii) localized waste treatment methods and end-of-life routes for both food and packaging; and (iv) context-specific co-product economic value and broader socioeconomic characteristics. • Geographic granularity and data quality: The QPDC facilitates collecting locally relevant data by allowing differentiation based on (a) production system typologies and intensity levels (i.e., low, medium, or high), and (b) subnational agroecological zones. Furthermore, the questionnaire includes mandatory fields for data quality metrics covering temporal, geographical, and technological representativeness, enabling LCA practitioners to conduct uncertainty and sensitivity analyses as needed.
Files
Steps to reproduce
The current version of the QPDC contains specific references to Indonesian agri-food systems. Our research team will also produce adapted versions for Kenya and the UK. The questionnaire is meant to serve as a blueprint, which can be tailored to any country and commodity Archetype globally. The publication of this working draft secures credit attribution for the methodological instrument before it undergoes a rigorous co-development and testing / validation process involving global and local experts (i.e., from Indonesia, Kenya, and the UK) with diverse backgrounds and expertise. We will host several group and one-on-one consultations with researchers, supply chain actors (i.e., primary data providers), and other relevant stakeholders, to gather feedback on the tool’s structure / format, content, user-friendliness, and comprehensiveness, and guide its iterative refinement. The revised version of the QPDC will then be piloted on key commodity Archetypes in Indonesia, Kenya, and the UK, to ensure suitability to both high- and low- and middle-income country settings. The employed co-creation methodology and final questionnaire will be published open-access, to contribute a holistic, easily adaptable nLCA data collection tool to the global agri-food sustainability community.