The global food system, which spreads across production and post-farm activities such as processing and distribution is a key contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It’s a problem for which we don’t yet have viable technological solutions. A study conducted by the University of Oxford in 2018 revealed 13.7 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq) generated by the global food supply chain. A complementary study by Leeds University in the U.K revealed that the annual consumption per person globally for food is 0.7 tons of CO2 equivalent. To put this in perspective, food is responsible for approximately 26% of global GHG emissions. 

The report states that there are four key elements to consider when trying to quantify food GHG emissions.

1. Livestock & fisheries account for 31% of food emissions. 
2. Crop production accounts for 27% of food emissions. 
3. Land use accounts for 24% of food emissions.
4. Supply chains account for 18% of food emission
   

There is a growing awareness that our diet and food choices have a significant impact on our carbon ‘footprint’. What can you do to really reduce the carbon footprint of your diet?

Is “Eating Local” the solution ?

‘Eating local’ is a recommendation you hear often. While it might make sense intuitively since transport does lead to emissions, the hard numbers state a different story. Eating locally would  have a significant impact if transport was responsible for a large share of food’s final carbon footprint. However for many foods, this is not the case. GHG emissions from transportation make up a very small amount of the emissions from food and what you eat is far more important than where your food traveled from. As an example, eating local beef or lamb has much more of a carbon footprint than most other foods. Whether they are grown locally, or shipped from the other side of the world, matters very little for total emissions. This does not imply that we should not eat local and support our local farmers. It’s about understanding the trade-offs and differences between eating smart and eating local.

Know the carbon footprint of your diet

Managing your diet can make a big difference to your personal environmental footprint, from saving water to reducing pollution, and the loss of forests. Cutting meat and dairy products from your diet could reduce an individual’s carbon footprint from food by two-thirds, according to the Oxford study, published in the Journal of Science. When it comes to our diets, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says we need to buy less meat, milk, cheese and butter, but also eat more locally sourced seasonal food and throw less of it away. 

Knowing how and where your food is produced is also important, as the same food can have huge differences in environmental impact. For example, 

• Beef cattle raised on deforested land is responsible for 12 times more greenhouse gas emissions than cows reared on natural pastures. 
• A chocolate bar from the deforested rainforest emits more than a serving of low impact beef. 
• A portion of the highest-impact vegetable proteins emit less that the lowest impact-animal proteins.
• Tomatoes grown outdoors or in high-tech greenhouses are more climate-friendly as compared to those grown in greenhouses heated by gas or oil. 
• Environmentally-minded beer-drinkers may be interested to know that draught beer is responsible for fewer emissions than recyclable cans, or worse, glass bottles.