When we have a dish before our eyes, or when we go shopping, there are things that we overlook. Usually, we don’t think about how these foods got there, but the truth is that they have usually traveled a very long way that appears invisible to us.
In between, there are some links in the chain that we are missing: intermediaries, conservation or packaging processes, harvesting, extraction or transportation, among others.
Every food has an impact on the environment; whether big or small. A part of it can be measured in the calculation of the carbon footprint, according to the amount of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) that were emitted in its production, by direct or indirect effect of a product. This not only includes transportation, but also the use of fertilizers, herbicides, packaging, packaging, use of agricultural machinery, and other factors that make up the production chain.
What are the foods that generate the largest and smallest footprint? Find out and know something else to know what to choose when you go shopping.
The ones that do the most damage
The meat: just to give an example, eating 1 kilogram of lamb is equivalent to driving a car 145 kilometers (39.2 kg CO2). In addition to animal suffering, the livestock industry produces greenhouse gases (animal droppings emit methane gas), deforestation, and consumes a large amount of water.
In other cases it is more serious, such as canned tuna, which generates around 6.1 kg CO2.
Dairy products: to produce a kilo of cheese, for example, around 13.5 kg of CO2 are produced. In the case of eggs, for example, one kilo produces 4.8 kg CO2. Milk, meanwhile, produces 351 g of CO2 for every 100 calories you consume.
The ones that cause the least damage
Fruits, fresh vegetables and legumes, obtained locally, are the best option for the environment and health. Among vegetables, potatoes are among those with the highest carbon footprint, producing 2.9 kg of CO2 per kilogram.
Here are other examples (always calculated per 1 kilogram):
- Rice: 2.7 kg of CO2
- Yogurt: 2.2 kg of CO2
- Broccoli: 2.0 kg of CO2
- Tomatoes: 1.1 kg of C02
- Lentils: 0.9 kg of CO2
Those that are approximately in the middle
Cereals like bread and pasta. For example, the first one produces 50g of CO2 for every 100 calories you eat.
In this, as well, there are some exceptions that can modify the above, such as the fact that the vegetables are processed or that the meat is imported and from where and how it is transported; in which cases the damage could be even more serious. For example, canned vegetables produce 787 g of CO2 for every 100 calories.
If you want to be even more specific, here you can find a Spanish calculator for the carbon footprint of your food list. You just have to take the purchase ticket and write down the kilos of each product.
Then?
A responsible diet is not only one that pays attention to nutrients, but also one that, without neglecting them, includes fresh products, with little or no packaging, with little or no processing, of local origin, and where possible organic.
Only by changing some of our eating habits can we help reduce carbon dioxide emissions related to what we eat.
For example, animal products require more land, water and energy to produce than grains, legumes and vegetables (9 times more energy and 33% more fossil fuels are consumed to produce one calorie of meat than relation to a calorie of vegetable origin).
In the same way, you will be helping the planet (and the economy of your region) if you buy directly from local producers, avoiding transport and intermediaries. Fresh, unprocessed, and seasonal produce also reduces your carbon footprint. In fact, you can create your own urban garden to obtain food with a minimum carbon footprint. Also, if the plants have grown naturally, they will adapt more easily to the specific conditions of that place and therefore will not require as many extra resources (such as fertilizers).