Food Carbon & Nutrition Data

Analysis

Most grocery shoppers have no idea how much CO₂ their weekly shop produces. Although “around 25% to 30% of global emissions come from our food systems” (Our World In Data), information about CO₂ footprints are nowhere to be found on the labels/shelves of the grocery market. Even though creating a beef bolognese and a lentil bolognese uses similar ingredients, their carbon footprints differ greatly.

So why is it important to be aware of our carbon footprint? An individual carbon footprint shows us the total amount of greenhouse gases produced by our personal actions. It is an easy way to analyze how each individual's lifestyle choices and habits impact our environment. While people seem to be aware of the impact driving, shopping, and daily appliances have on their carbon footprint, they pay less attention to the impact of their diet.

Although people are stubborn about changing their habits, small meal alterations can have a major impact on their carbon footprint. As the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition states, “Americans who eat beef could reduce their carbon footprint by up to 48% by substituting non-beef meals with just one serving per day”. Without having to walk to work or give up buying new clothes, people can greatly reduce their footprint by eliminating one meat-centered meal a day. This doesn’t just stop at meat consumption; there are many food items that have alarmingly high CO₂ amounts.

This leads us to our core question: Which common grocery ingredients carry the highest CO₂ emissions, and how much can small swaps reduce the carbon footprint of an everyday meal? Our goal is to help consumers, policymakers, and researchers understand the tradeoffs between what we eat and the climate impact it carries, and to identify which foods deliver strong nutritional value at a relatively low environmental cost. We believe that if people have easily accessible data on their grocery’s carbon footprint, they will make small yet impactful changes to their diet.

Our webpage explores the relationship between the environmental cost of food production and its nutritional value. We analyze 38 common food items, comparing the CO₂-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions generated per kilogram of food produced against key nutritional metrics, including calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fat per 100 grams. Users are provided with research, visual charts, and a shopping game. The game allows users to simulate their grocery shopping experience, seeing what food items have a greater carbon footprint. By implementing this webpage, we strongly encourage users to focus on eating a more plant-based diet, limiting the consumption of animal products.