Can E-commerce development improve the nutrition-environment synergy of food consumption? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China

With the rapid advancement of digitalization and informatization globally, the effect of e-commerce on human behavior has been widely examined. However, it remains unclear whether and to what extent e-commerce promotes sustainable consumption practices, particularly regarding the nutrition-environment synergy of food consumption. Using data from the China Urban Household Survey, this study examines the causal effect of e-commerce development on the synergy between these two dimensions and sheds light on the underlying mechanisms. Employing a difference-in-differences approach based on a quasi-natural experiment of the National E-commerce Demonstration Cities Policy (NEDCP), our study finds that the NEDCP significantly enhances the nutrition-environment synergy of food consumption in urban China. The positive effect is especially pronounced among low-income households and those with female, older, or more highly educated household heads. Mechanism analysis suggests that the NEDCP achieves this by raising household disposable income, increasing the proportion of plant-based foods in household food consumption, and reducing the proportion of animal-based foods. Given the positive effect of e-commerce development, policymakers are advised to continue advancing e-commerce initiatives as a means of raising household income and fostering a transition toward more plant-based diets, thereby enhancing nutritional health and environmental sustainability.