Protocol for a systematic review on cooking skills and food sustainability

The project is grounded in the idea that cooking skills – understood as the practical ability and confidence to plan, prepare and cook meals from basic ingredients – can be a key driver for the adoption of more sustainable dietary patterns. People with higher cooking skills are more likely to cook at home, rely less on ultra-processed foods, use seasonal and local ingredients, and creatively reuse leftovers, thereby reducing food waste. The main aim of the project is to investigate how cooking skills are associated with sustainable diets, considered in their environmental, social and economic dimensions. Sustainable dietary practices include, for example, a higher intake of plant-based foods, the choice of minimally processed ingredients, reduced meat consumption, preference for local and seasonal products, and behaviours that limit food waste. Within the Planetary Health and One Health frameworks, cooking skills are explored not only as a nutritional asset, but also as a lever to align individual food choices with the health of ecosystems and communities. Methodologically, the project will conduct a systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies assessing the relationship between cooking skills and indicators of dietary sustainability. The findings are expected to clarify how enhancing cooking skills can support a transition towards sustainable diets, and to inform public health policies, educational programmes and culinary medicine initiatives aimed at promoting both human and planetary health.