How to Calculate a Food Footprint

Buy locally produced olive oil to reduce your food footprint.

However much we dislike it, the food we eat contributes to climate change. The production, packaging and transportation of food all use energy and result in carbon emissions that threaten to increase global temperatures. The good news is that not all foods have equal footprints, and it is possible to gauge your food carbon footprint. Calculating the amount of carbon dioxide released as a result of the production, packaging and transport of food helps you make informed decisions about the produce you buy.

Instructions

1. Calculate the distance food travels to reach you. If food travels a long way to reach you, greater emissions are produced and the carbon footprint is larger. For example; an Iowa State University study reports that produce travels more than 1,500 miles from U.S. farms to Chicago consumers. Similarly, olive oil imported from Europe for a restaurant in the U.S. has a much bigger carbon footprint than olive oil produced in the country. Food transported by plane has the highest impact on your food footprint. The Climate Neutral Network reports that shipping one ton of goods by plane results in carbon emissions 143 times higher than by train.

2. Record the amount of meat and dairy products you consume. The World Watch Institute reports that 51 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from these industries, which is more than 30 billion tons of carbon dioxide each year. Meat and dairy products require much more energy for production. The animals need food for the duration of their lives, which creates greenhouse gas emissions. The animals must be transported and their products processed. Furthermore, animals reared for meat and dairy create methane which is more harmful to the environment than carbon dioxide.

3. Eat seasonal produce. Grocery stores and restaurants need to transport out-of-season foods long distances from other parts of the country, resulting in greenhouse gas emissions. Determine if a vegetable is in season where you live. If it isn't, what you see in grocery stores is flown in from a part of the world where it is in season. This means that healthy vegetable dishes may have a huge food footprint.

4. Take the World Wildlife Fund footprint calculator questionnaire. There are four multiple choice questions relating to your food purchases and dietary habits. This gives you an indication of your food footprint.

Tips & Warnings

• Alternative methods of production may not be helping the problem. Greenhouses are often powered by nonrenewable resources, which may have a higher impact than shipping food from another area.

References

• World Watch Institute - Livestock and Climate Change
• Food, Fuel, and Freeways - An Iowa Perspective on how far Food Travels, Fuel Usage, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Climate Neutral Network -- Transport