Lentils are seen as key crops of the future due to nutritional and agricultural benefits. This is complemented by a push to increase local production and consumption to aid the transition towards sustainable food systems. However, the evaluation of the multidimensional impacts of the lentil food system at the national level is yet to be realised. The current study conducts a holistic assessment of the lentil food system, from production to consumption. This includes 16 indicators covering four dimensions: nutritional risk and benefit, food safety encompassing chemical and microbiological risks and cost of illness, environmental impacts, and economic impacts. The study characterises the current situation and alternative scenarios reflecting how the lentil food system could evolve by 2050 in France. The results show that for domestic farmers, increased lentil consumption may generate economic and agricultural gains. However, microbial risk and environmental impacts were demonstrated to increase moderately by 2050. Overall, it was revealed that an increase in local production to satisfy a possible increase in consumer demand is a more favourable trade-off than more imports. Holistic assessment is an aid to draw a complete picture of food systems. Overall, this provides scientific evidence to support increased lentil consumption in the near future.
