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According to Carbon Independent, the emissions associated with the average Briton’s diet total 2.2 tonnes a year.
- 0.7 tonnes arising from the use of fertilisers in the production of fruit, vegetables and other crops;
- 0.4 tonnes generated in the production of meat and dairy products;
- 0.3 tonnes incurred transporting food from where it is produced to our homes;
- 0.2 tonnes from packaging;
- 0.2 tonnes associated with food processing; and
- 0.2 tonnes emitted as waste food rots.
These figures do not include emissions associated with freezing, refrigerating or cooking foods at home. We’ll take a look at these elsewhere.
Looking at the above figures, ways to reduce the carbon footprint associated with your diet are fairly obvious:
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Eat as much organic produce as you can. If you only ate organic food, your carbon footprint would shrink by 0.7 tonnes a year.
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Cut down on meat, eggs, milk and cheese. Going vegan will cut your footprint by 0.4 tonnes a year, but you don’t have to go that far. Just try to eat less of these carbon-intensive foods.
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Buy food grown locally if you can but be careful – sometimes it’s better for the environment to buy food produced further away. The emissions involved in transporting tomatoes from Spain, where they are grown in unheated greenhouses, are lower than those incurred growing them in heated greenhouses in the UK. The easy way to get it right is to eat seasonal produce grown locally.
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Choose unpackaged foods where you can. Otherwise, avoid foods packaged in plastic or that appear to use more packaging than is necessary.
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Don’t buy any more than you need.
Eating out?
Choose a restaurant or café that recycles its waste.
Companies like Olleco collect cooking oil and turn it into biodiesel for trucks.
Others collect solid food waste and turn it into biogas, some of which is mixed into the natural gas fed to homes, offices and factories.
McDonalds is one of the chains that recycles this way, but it isn’t just for the big guys. Check with local cafes, pubs and restaurants – they may do this as well. And if you ask, it will encourage them to do so.
To shrink your footprint even further, choose establishments that use seasonal local produce.
To probe further…
- How can food choices reduce your carbon footprint? [blog – PDF]