Ever wondered what the environmental impact is of your meals?
When it comes to our global carbon footprint, almost a third of it is due to the food we eat.
Unsurprisingly, the most emissions intensive food humans eat is red meat.
While the least amount of greenhouse gasses are produced by a field of grown vegetables.
1 kilogram of greenhouse gas is produced during production of around 50 onions whereas only 44 grams of beef produces the same amount.
Here are some insights on the emissions that are produced in food production in order to help you make more informed choices.
From Farm to Fork
Greenhouse gas production happens across all food production.
Activities responsible for producing emissions from paddock all the way to regional distribution centres include:
- Harvesting, processing, irrigation and cultivation machinery
- Chemicals and fertilisers
- Transportation
- Refrigeration
These are only the ones that are calculated in common studies. The truth is that, these studies leave out other emissions.
These include those produced by activities such as cooking at home, retail and human consumption.
According to the team behind Richmond Kitchens and Renovations, having gas could be a more environmentally friendly option when it comes to cooking. They explain “burning 45% less carbon dioxide than coal and 30% less than oil, a gas powered stove and oven could be a more green option. It’s cheaper and more efficient than cooking with electricity, which could help you lower your carbon footprint once your food has arrived and you.”
Carbon Footprint of Foods
Although all food groups produce some sort of environmental impact, livestock followed by dairy are the main culprits.
They have far larger carbon footprints than fruit, vegetables or nuts and grains.
When it comes to livestock, ruminant livestock such as lamb and beef contribute more greenhouse gases than non-ruminant livestock, such as chicken and pork.
With red meat, the most carbon-intensive activities come from:
- Feed production
- Breeding
- Farm / Broiler energy and heating
- Fertiliser use
- Transportation
- Processing at the slaughterhouse
- Refrigeration during transportation
Methane is the main source of emissions when it comes to lamb and beef. This means you increase your carbon footprint when you bulk buy meat.
Methane is produced by the fermentation process when feed is converted into energy in the animals’ stomachs by bacteria.
Methane contributes above 50% of the total emissions when it comes to ruminant livestock.
When it comes to fish, the fish species that are caught offshore by trawlers and long-line fishing fleets have much higher emission values as compared to the coastal fishing fleets due to significantly higher fuel consumption.
Despite these general trends, it is difficult to compare different life-cycle analyses.
Everything can be unique to a particular growing region, farming practice and methodological calculations. Some farming practices are more sustainable than others.
Sourcing local is always best too.
According to the custom cake makers at Pearl’s Creations, plant based cakes are increasing in popularity. “With a custom cake business, catering to different diets and needs is part of the job. Requests for vegan cakes as opposed to traditional ones, are not uncommon these days and can be attributed to customers trying to be conscious of their environmental footprint among other things.”
Being Mindful in the Kitchen
People have different dietary and culinary requirements and that makes it hard to argue that beef can be replaced with onions.
But this doesn’t mean introducing a heavy rotation of vegetables is not an option people cannot get on board with.
According to alternative health leaders at Expect Me, incorporating more fresh fruit and vegetables benefits yourself and the environment. They note “reducing your overall red meat consumption can have a positive environmental impact. It can be substituted with other meats with a lower carbon footprint or with other plant-based protein sources such as nuts and lentils. This will also increase the nutritional value of your meals.”
Meat can also be sourced from farmers who consciously use sustainable farming practices, instead.
According to OzHarvest, Australia produces up to $20 billion worth of food waste each year.
This shows the impact of embedded carbon when such a colossal level of food is wasted in the overall supply chain each year.
There is a general trend of everyday citizens gaining a better understanding of the total lifetime impacts of different types of food in terms of its emissions.
This information and knowledge will allow people to shop, plan, prepare and cook better when it comes to reducing their overall carbon footprint.
This can also assist in catering companies and individuals planning menus reducing their overall carbon footprint by choosing foods more consciously.
It’s all about becoming informed in order to make informed dietary choices for environmental purposes.
