Study reveals carbon footprint of food

As part of a study, researchers at Australia’s RMIT University and Lancaster University have compiled a greenhouse gas emissions table that will help consumers calculate the environmental impact of the fresh food they eat.

In the table, grains, fruit and vegetables were found to have the lowest impact, followed by nuts and pulses. Chicken and pork had a medium impact.

Fish also had a medium impact on average, however results between species varied significantly.  Meat from beef and lamb had the highest impact.

RMIT’s Associate Professor Karli Verghese says in a press release that the study was the largest and most comprehensive examination of its kind, providing the first global league table for fresh food.

The study will feature in the upcoming edition of the Journal of Cleaner Production.

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