Environmental Impact of Food Products: A Data Analysis Approach Using HJ-Biplot and Clustering

In recent decades, the impact of human activities on the environment has been worsened, and one of the causes is the food industry and its methods, which produce scarcity and overconsumption of resources. Thus, it is essential to determine and measure the environmental impact of food products by collecting data and employing appropriate statistical methods. Multivariate statistical methods allow us to analyze phenomena in a broader and more refined way, with Biplots and clustering as two of the most important. In this work, we use HJ-Biplot and k-means clustering in order to analyze data about the environmental impact of food products. The resulting plots and values show that, in general, meat products tend to impact the air and soil, plant-based products tend to affect water reserves and flow, and products that are not firmly connected to the previously mentioned categories have a lesser impact on resources. The results are consistent with the process of production or acquisition of these food products, providing valuable insights into the extent of their environmental impact.