How does the food you eat impact on carbon emissions?
Whether you like it or not, the food you eat is full of ‘carbs’ – not carbohydrates – but carbon emissions. In 2004, UK agriculture used 2.1 million tonnes of oil equivalents – and produced just over 7% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions (Soil Association, 2010). Defra, in their PAS 2050 case study, suggested that there are several stages involved in food production that all feed in to the carbon footprint.
- Raw Materials
- Manufacture
- Distribution and retail
- Consumer use
- Disposal/recycling
As you can see, there are many ways that making and transporting our food can increase our carbon footprint.
How to reduce your ‘carbs’
There are several ways to reduce the carbon emissions produced from the food you eat. Here are some carbon saving tips:
Buy local
It can be hard to imagine the size of the carbon footprint of our food. In distribution alone, the Department of Environment estimates that UK food transport results annually in the emission of over 19 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (McCarthy, Easy Eco Auditing, 2008). The first tip is to buy local. Be aware of what country your food is coming from. The further it has travelled, the bigger the carbon penalty (Carbon Counter, 2007). There are plenty of places which hold farmers markets where you can buy fresh local food. Some of the more ethical supermarkets are also expanding their local and British lines.
Eat organic
One great reason to eat organic is to support a method of farming which will help reduce carbon emissions worldwide. Non-organic and particularly intensive farming can depend on inorganic nitrogen fertilisers to help crops grow. These fertilisers are made from petro-chemicals. The Soil Association (2010) claims that to make one tonne of artificial fertiliser takes 108 tonnes of water, emits 7 tonnes of carbon dioxide, and uses one tonne of oil. By farming organically, nitrogen fertiliser is not required and so excess carbon emissions are not produced. New research also suggests that organic farming helps to store more carbon in the soil than non-organic farming. Do try to buy local or British organic food if you can. A lot of supermarkets import their organic produce therefore adding to the food miles and carbon emissions.
Grow your own
If you are lucky enough to have your own garden, then you should consider growing your own vegetables and fruits to cut your food miles completely. If you don’t have a garden, you can always grow some vegetables and herbs in pots on window sills or visit your local council website to get an allotment. A home composting system can help reduce your food waste and your carbon footprint further.
Become a vegetarian
It may sound silly, but cutting back on your meat intake can have a huge reduction on your carbon footprint. McCarthy (Easy Eco Auditing, 2008) states that a family of four could be releasing up to 4 tonnes of carbon dioxide from their meat eating in a year, which is over half of the average household emissions for all energy used for space heating and electricity. Take beef for example. In intensive beef rearing systems the cattle are fed diets rich in protein and energy including soya beans and soya cake (Sustain, 2010). This has been the most cost-effective way to produce cheap meat. Feeding cows on pasture is too expensive. This is a shame, as semi-natural grassland absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and builds up soil carbon reserves [1]. The most important aspect of growing feed for animals and not feeding them natural grass, is that huge inputs of chemical fertilisers and pesticides are required to grow the amount of feed needed to sustain the worlds cattle. As mentioned previously, these inputs release tonnes of carbon dioxide in their production. If the meat you buy is imported you also have added carbon emissions. Finally, a bit of food for thought…an estimated 1.7 million hectares of Amazonian rainforest are currently lost to farmland every year (Steel, Hungry City, 2008). This farmland is primarily for the production of beef and soya.
Reuse and recycle
Plastic bags are made from oil which gives them a fairly big carbon footprint. Taking your own bags shopping can help you reduce your plastic bag use. The production of packaging uses additional energy so it is always worth recycling where you can, and buying recycled products. Recycling saves huge amounts of carbon dioxide. For example, one recycled plastic bottle would save enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for three hours [2].
[1] Harvey, 2008, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7213348.stm
[2] www.recycling-guide.org.uk, 2010
Cottage pie case study – how much carbon is in your ready meal? Defra http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/food/pdf/cottagepie.pdf
Everything you need to know about buying and growing organic – The Soil Association http://www.soilassociation.org
Find farmers markets close to you www.farmersmarkets.net
Help and support for going vegetarian or reducing your meat intake. The Vegetarian Society www.vegsoc.org
