Optimizing different diets considering greenhouse gas emissions

This bachelor's thesis focuses on the optimization of different types of diets with regard to greenhouse gas emissions, financial costs, and nutritional balance. The theoretical part explains the basics of linear and multi-criteria programming, the concept of goal programming, and the relationship between food production and environmental impact. It also summarizes nutritional requirements and the differences between omnivorous and vegetarian dietary patterns. The practical part is dedicated to the development of eight optimization models in LINGO software—four for an omnivorous diet and four for a vegetarian diet. For each type of diet, models were first created to minimize either cost or emissions; subsequently, goal programming was applied to build models that aim to find a compromise between multiple objectives simultaneously. The results highlight differences in affordability and environmental impact between the two types of diets and confirm that vegetarian meal plans generally lead to lower emissions, while omnivorous variants tend to be more cost-effective. The findings of this thesis may serve as a basis for more sustainable decision-making in the field of nutrition.