Carbon Footprint of Food
Swedish Studies Show Impact of Consumerism on Greenhouse Emissions
Oct 24, 2009
From fast-food restaurants to supermarkets, Sweden is the first to implement a new standard in the fight against global warming.
Labels on foods sold at various edible junctions in Sweden represent the food’s carbon footprint; that is, the measure of all greenhouse emissions produced in order to bring this food product from seedling/egg/womb to supermarket and plate.
Carbon Footprint Food Tag in Sweden
These product labels are intended as a way to encourage consumers to adopt an environmentally conscious approach when it comes to cooking and consuming meals. These efforts stem from recent studies which indicate that over 25% of greenhouse emissions in Sweden could be linked to food production and consumption.
Though isolated in Sweden, marketing the carbon footprint of food is fast becoming a topic of debate worldwide. Some view it as and extreme approach to fighting global warming, while others say it is merely an effort no different than the switch to hybrid cars or energy-efficient technologies.
Where Food Meets Global Warming
Vegans have long pronounced the connection between food and global warming. In a country such as America, cattle are responsible for about 18% of all greenhouse gas emissions. The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations has recently published a document called ‘Livestock’s Long Shadow’, in which livestock are labeled major contributors to environmental degradation, including global warming, land degradation, deforestation, water pollution, and loss of biodiversity.
Agriculture and the Environment
Agricultural trends are also responsible for greenhouse emissions; where additional energy is required to successfully produce a crop, carbon emissions result. Growing out of season or region in heated greenhouses, canning, preserving, the use of pesticides and chemicals, crop manipulation and transport are all contributors to a hefty carbon footprint for crops.
Eat Organic, Eat Fresh, Eat Local, Be Vegetarian
Current trends in the culinary culture are on par with Sweden’s revolutionary food tag formula for environmental awareness. Local organic produce from local regional farmers is becoming the more popular pick for health-wary consumers and environmental advocates alike. Vegetarianism is receiving a facelift: not only is a diet lacking meat conducive to better health, it is an important step in achieving ecological and environmental repair and stability. Foods grown locally, organically, and seasonally have a smaller carbon footprint than products boasting a carbon footprint worthy of regret.
Avoiding fast-food restaurants, restaurant chains, and packaged grocery items are effective ways to engage in environmental efforts alongside Sweden.
Sweden has redefined consumer power of influence on the world, and until carbon footprint food tags are as common as price labels on food items, making simple decisions with the environment at heart is yet another way to participate in measures of global change.
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