Carbon Footprint for Food - Which Foods Produce Most CO2
Following the previous post ‘ Reduce your Carbon Footprint by Buying Local’, we are going to look further into how much CO2 emissions are produced for different types of food, therefore analysing the carbon footprints for food products in the UK.
Many products in the UK are flown in due to them being highly perishable. These products, like green beans, kiwi fruit and lettuces from the US have a very high carbon footprint due to them being flown into the country; these are labelled as being transported by air in many supermarkets now, and should be avoided if you have concerns about the environment or are looking to reduce your carbon footprint in general and with your food. The major benefits of buying local are highlighted in the article listed above, but to give a general idea, in a recent report it was calculated that the typical Sunday roast made with imported ingredients would have clocked up 81,000km of transport miles for the whole meal, the equivalent to two journeys around the world, producing 3,700g of CO2 for the food. This is compared to if all the food was bought within a 30 miles radius, which would produce just 58g.
Listed below is a table showing some of the most popular imported groceries sold in the UK, and their carbon emissions for transport:
|
Product |
Origin |
CO2 Emissions (l/kg of CO2) |
|
Strawberries, Cherries, Peppers, Herbs |
Ankara, Turkey |
1.61 |
|
Strawberries, Green Beans, Salad Onions, Garden Peas, Sugar Snap Peas |
Cairo, Egypt |
2.0 |
|
Fine Beans, Mange Tout, Sugar Snap Peas, Courgettes |
Nairobi, Kenya |
3.87 |
|
Chantarelle Mushrooms, Various Vegatables |
Lusaka, Zambia |
4.5 |
|
Strawberries, Baby Spinach, Raspberries, Watercress, Rocket, Lettuce, Limes, Baby Carrots |
Los Angeles, US |
5.0 |
|
Brocolli |
Guatemala City, Guatemala |
5.0 |
|
Avocados, Cherry Tomatoes, Mangoes, Limes |
Mexico City, Mexico |
5.1 |
|
Ginger |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
5.3 |
|
Mange Tout, Fine Beans, Runner Beans, Herbs, Asparagus |
Bangkok, Thailand |
5.4 |
|
Avocados, Baby Carrots, Asparagus, Radishes, Peppers, Grapes |
Cape Town, South Africa |
5.5 |
|
Garlic |
Buenos Aires, Argentina |
6.3 |
|
Rasberries, Kiwi Fruit, Grapes, Asparagus, Plums, Raspberries |
Valparaiso, Chile |
6.6 |
|
Beef Cuts, Ginger |
Melbourne, Australia |
9.6 |
|
Blueberries |
Wellington, New Zealand |
10.7 |
There’s a good selection of many of the foods that are imported and produce most carbon dioxide. Nobody is saying to completely cut out all the foods you love that are imported, but if sometimes you refrained from buying food with a high carbon footprint it can make a really big difference. Buying in season is another great way to save on CO2 emissions, because products have to travel less distance because they are produced in the UK, and are at their freshest and best. A post will look at when groceries are in season in the future.
