Overall impact of the 40 most produced foods on the environment

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OVERALL IMPACT OF THE 40 MOST PRODUCED FOODS ON THE ENVIRONMENT
Protein rich products
(for a 100g protein)
GHG emissions
(kg CO2 equivalent[1])
Land use
(m2 year)
Acidification[2]
(kg SO2eq.[3])
Eutrophisation[4]
(g PO2eq.)
Use of water
(kL equivalent)
Beef (meat) πŸ₯© 50 164 0,189 0,177 871
Lamb & Mutton πŸ‘ 20 185 0,087 0,060 1082
Beef (dairy) πŸ₯› 17 22 0,209 0,209 1650
Crustaceans[5] 🦐 18 2 0,060 0,098 1394
Cheese πŸ§€ 11 41 0,149 0,089 4735
Pig meat πŸ– 7,6 11 0,083 0,044 1073
Fish[6] 🐟 6,0 3.7 0,025 0,092 1315
Poultry meat πŸ“ 5,7 7,1 0,064 0,030 402
Eggs πŸ₯š 4,2 5,7 0,052 0,021 556
Tofu 🌱 2,0 2,2 0,006 0,006 139
Groundnuts[7] πŸ₯œ 1,2 3,5 0,018 0,011 1431
Other legumes 🌱 0,8 7,3 0,019 0,015 364
Peas 🌱 0,4 3,4 0,008 0,007 353
Nuts 🌰 0,3 7,9 0,019 0,009 1914
Milks
(for a 1L )
Cow Milk πŸ₯› 3,2 8.9 0,149 0,089 628
Rice milk πŸ₯› 1,2 0,3 270
Soy milk πŸ₯› 1,0 0,7 0,003 0,001 26
Oat milk πŸ₯› 0,9 0,8 48
Almond milk πŸ₯› 0,7 0,5 371
Starch-rich products
(for a 1000 kCAL)
Manioc / Yucca 🍠 1,4 1,9 0,003 0,001 0
Rice (flooded) 🌾 1,2 0,8 0,024 0,030 1962
Oatmeal 🌾 0,9 2,9 0,007 0,007 302
Potatoes πŸ₯” 0,6 1,2 0,003 0,003 43
Wheat & rye 🍞 0,6 1,4 0,012 0,007 567
Corn (flour) 🌽 0,4 0,7 0,007 0,002 120
Oils
(for 1L)
Palm oil: 🌴 7,3 2,4 0,018 0,011 7
Soybean oil: 🌱 6,3 11 ,016 ,011 418
Olive oil: 🌱 5,4 26 ,041 ,040 2322
Rapeseed oil: 🌼 3,8 11 0,029 0,019 234
Sunflower oil: 🌻 3,6 18 ,027 ,051 943
Vegetables
(for 1Kg)
Tomatoes πŸ… 2,1 0,8 0,011 0,005 235
Brassicas πŸ₯¦ 0,5 0,6 0,007 0,004 97
Onions & leeks 🌿 0,5 0,4 0,003 0,002 11
Root vegetables πŸ₯• 0,4 0,3 0,003 0,001 23
Fruits
(for 1Kg)
Berries πŸ“ 1,5 2,4 0,010 0,005 292
Bananas 🍌 0,9 1,9 0,005 0,002 86
Apples 🍏 0,4 0,6 0,003 0,001 140
Citrus πŸ‹ 0,4 0,9 0,003 0,002 65
Sugars
(for 1Kg)
Cane sugar 🎍 3,2 2,0 0,015 0,014 492
Beet sugar 🌱 1,8 1,8 0,011 0,004 170
Alcoholic beverages
(for 1 unit[8])
Beer (5%) 🍺 0,24 0,22 0,006 0,002 15
Wine (12.5%) 🍷 0,14 0,14 0,011 0,004 68
Stimulants
(for 1 serving)
Dark chocolat (50g) 🍫 2,3 3,4 0,017 0,031 209
Coffee (15g) β˜• 0,4 0,3 0,046 0,060 14

References & details

This comparative spreadsheet is based on 2 documents included in the research study titled β€œReducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers” published by J. Poore[9] and T. Nemecek[10] in February 2019 (first publication June 1st 2018) in the american magazine Science.

πŸ”πŸ“„Click link to read PDF article
πŸ”πŸ“„Click link to have a look at the graph
πŸ”πŸ“„Click link to download precise spreadsheet

Notes

  1. ↑ Including methane for instance
  2. ↑ The acidity of a soil is defined by its hydrogen potential (pH). Below a certain threshold (~ 6 on the pH scale), the soil is too acidic for most cultivated plants: it limits biological activity (fertility) and its structure is degraded. Indeed, acidity influences the uptake of nutrients and trace elements by a plant, as well as the presence of deep roots or earthworms that structure and aerate the soil.
  3. ↑ soils or waters (ex: ocean acidification due to fish and crustacean water farming)
  4. ↑ Excessive intake of nutrients into the water, resulting in overgrowth, oxygen depletion and ecosystem imbalance. e.g. nitrogen + phosphorus
  5. ↑ 🦐 farmed)
  6. ↑ 🐟 farmed
  7. ↑ πŸ₯œ mainly peanuts
  8. ↑ 10ml of 100% alcohol
  9. ↑ Zoologist from the School of Geography & Environment, The Queen's College& University of Oxford
  10. ↑ Agroecology and Environment specialist, Zurich, Switzerland