Thursday, November 03, 2016

How Much Food Does It Take to Generate 2.2 Pounds of Greenhouse Gas?

Researchers have compiled the first comprehensive carbon footprint league table for fresh food so chefs, caterers and everyday foodies can cook meals without cooking the planet

Tiny burger (Credit: James Creegan/Flickr) Click to Enlarge.
The greenhouse gas emissions dataset by researchers at Lancaster University and RMIT University and will help consumers and catering firms calculate the environmental impact of the fresh food they eat and the menus they serve.

The new research suggests altering our eating habits for the good of the environment.
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Grains, fruit and vegetables were found to have the lowest impact, followed by nuts and pulses.  Chicken and pork (non-ruminant meat) had a medium impact.

Fish also had a medium impact on average.  However, results between species varied significantly.  Meat from beef and lamb (ruminant animals with multiple guts) had the highest impact.
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The paper, a systematic review of greenhouse gas emissions for different fresh food categories, is published in the Journal of Cleaner Production.

The paper reviewed 369 published studies that provided 1718 global warming potential values for 168 varieties of fresh produce including vegetables, fruit, dairy products, staples, meat, chicken and fish.

The authors have produced a simple list to illustrate what one kilogram (2.2 lbs) of greenhouse gas emissions buys on average:

5.8 kg of onions -- approximately 50 medium onions

3.5 kg of apples -- approximately 20 medium apples

2.6 kg (5.7 lbs) oats

1 kg (2.2 lbs) lentils

1.2 kg (2.6 lbs) of peanuts

0.8 litres (27 fl oz) milk

290 g (10.2 oz) salmon

290 g eggs -- approximately 5 small eggs

270 g (9.5 oz) chicken

174 g (6.1 oz) pork

40 g (1.4 oz) beef or lamb

Read more at New study provides food carbon footprint pecking order

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