What is the Carbon Footprint of your Favorite Food?

It’s relatively easy to pick the more sustainable option when shopping for a new car or a fresh outfit for the fourth of July or the holiday season, but picking your favorite food while keeping the environment in mind might prove to be a little bit trickier. 

How can you alter your food choices without depriving yourself of your favorite food? Is there a way for everyone on the planet to continue eating their favorite food without creating a detrimental environmental impact or a massive carbon footprint?

There are more things that go into the calculation of the carbon footprint for your favorite food than you may realise: like the amount of water it takes to grow or manifest that favorite food or the greenhouse gas emissions required to transport food such as from delivery or transportation used to get the food you want to the shelves of your grocery store or even straight to your doorstep. Also, another imperative factor necessary when determining the carbon footprint of your favorite food include monitoring the environmental impact created by the food chain necessary to deliver that end product. For example, plant-based meals are known to create less of an environmental impact than other meals due to the fact that it takes less water and a simpler food chain to cultivate plants than it does for dairy or meat-based products. In other words, it is easier to grow plants that will be consumed by humans, than to grow plants that will be used for livestocks that could be used to directly feed humans. 

However, even growing plants can have a detrimental impact on the environment – as farming habits can have a direct impact on biodiversity with the use of pesticides all for the sake of cultivating more cost-effective and copious growing conditions that may not benefit the environment even if it results in a more plentiful harvest.

Your favorite food isn’t just calculated by the direct impact it has on the environment, but also the surrounding organism that may be subject to harm in the process of the cultivation of that food. For instance, if your favorite food must be grown in a tropical environment, living species that reside in that area may be compromised due to the need for deforestation or other harmful environmental activities necessary to create that favorite food. 

More often than not when about to go grocery shopping for dinner, ordering in, or choosing which recipe from a meal kit delivery to make – Americans are asking one another if they’re in the mood for, “Mexican”, “Chinese”, or “Italian”. In other words, many of the typical American diet is cumulative of the fact that the entire country is a melting pot in of itself, and therefore – much of the food choices across the United States are diversified. 

However, that being said, just like any country, the U.S. does have its own cuisine and meals that are unique to the United States and aren’t likely to be found elsewhere in the world: such as hot dogs, classic American hamburgers, apple pie, chicken and waffles, or fried oreos – but are these the most common meals and favorite foods of Americans?

As of 2022, some of the most popular American dishes include hamburgers, mashed potatoes, french fries, steak, fried chicken, grilled cheese, and corn on the cob – meaning many of America’s favorite foods are meat-based and therefore might be subject to a heavy environmental impact. 

In addition to this, Americans are known to snack more than other cultures are – gorging on highly-processed foods like cookies, crackers, and potato chips. While these products can often be free of animal products, the problem is that the packaging for these products makes them anything but sustainable, as these American snacks are often packaged in single use plastic that is difficult to recycle.

Are there ways for Americans to still eat their favorite food without sacrificing the environment in exchange for their comfort meal of choice?

It’s no secret that Americans love to eat fast food, with many of the country’s most eaten meals being inspired by the chain restaurants found across the country – but the good news is that there are a wide variety of options for Americans to still eat similar textures and tastes to their favorite food without sacrificing the environment. 

Over the past five years or so, plant-based milk has taken the U.S. by storm, with nearly every single independent coffee shop or coffee shop offering a wide variety of plant-based milks: from soy, almond, coconut, and the fan favorite – oat milk. 

In comparison to soybeans used for soy milk, cow’s milk has almost an environmental impact 100 times greater than soybeans: as cow’s milk can create up to 300 times the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, uses 55 times more water, and has a nine-time greater chance of impacting the surrounding habitats where the production of cow’s milk takes place.

If your favorite food is dairy, which makes use of cow’s milk, fret not – it’s still okay to eat your favorite food, but keep an open mind to many of the dairy free yogurts, cheeses, milks, and desserts that have hit the market the past few years.

Eating a good hamburger is a classic American staple, but the environment doesn’t consider them a favorite food as much as most across the country, and subsequently the world, do. This is because beef has an overall impact on the environment up to 800 times greater than soy-beans: a plant-based protein often used as the derivative of many plant-based meat options available on the market today.

Even more alarming, one of America’s favorite foods produces three times the amount of greenhouse gas emissions than soybeans do, and uses 300 times the amount of water as well. For those who can’t give up this classic American staple, one of the best ways to still consume this favorite food while still keeping sustainability in mind is to opt for farm-raised beef and smaller portion sizes.

Potatoes are one of the most favorite foods amongst Americans: from hashbrowns at the diner, to french fries from the drive through, or mashed potatoes at the Thanksgiving table – potatoes are one of the most versatile and popular side dishes in the United States.

Luckily, potatoes don't have as bad of a carbon footprint as their common main-meal counterparts: beef. Overall, beef uses 3.5 times the amount of water than potatoes do, emits 88 times the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, and is subject to 85 times the amount of nutrient pollution than potatoes are.

However, if people want to reduce the impact of their food choices even more than they already are – opting for cassava, also known as cassava root, every once in a while would be beneficial: as cassava produces almost ten times less the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that potatoes do. 

Cassava is similar to the potato as it is a starchy vegetable, but it takes longer to cook than a potato – which makes sense given most Americans like quick and easy meals.

Corn is another common American staple, as it is usually eaten on the cob or grilled into summer-like salads for the fourth of July or served as a side dish at the Thanksgiving table. 

Corn, similar to potatoes, has a significantly less environmental impact than beef does – as beef creates up to 180 times the amount of greenhouse gas emissions as opposed to corn. While there isn’t anything extremely detrimental about corn, it also used to make corn syrup and be used as a preservative to extend the shelf life of many American snacks. 

That being said, a great alternative to corn if it is your favorite food is to switch it out to soybeans. This is because most Amercians opt to purchase corn in a can, which also means it has to be properly recycled to ensure excessive emissions aren’t produced – something less likely if one is to buy dry soybeans in bulk. Soybeans can easily be used in place of corn in recipes, and while it may not add the same sweet crunch – soybeans allow for added protein and are more versatile for cooking than corn.

If your favorite food creates a heavy carbon footprint, but you can’t bear to part with it or even swap it out for a more sustainable food every once in a while – there are more ideas on how to become more sustainable with your food consumption and choices.

One way is by looking into meal kits for your weekly dinners, as many meal kit companies seek to reduce the overall emissions caused by cooking and grocery shopping through carbon-neutral deliveries and ensuring that no food goes to waste. However, if cooking your favorite food from scratch is still your preference – trying to grow as much of it at home is a great way to cut back on your plastic consumption by avoiding the need to buy the produce fixings for your favorite homemade burgers. One of the most effective ways to grow your own food at home is to build a food forest to maximise the harvest season year-round. 

In addition to these ideas, your favorite food is likely to taste even better when it’s fresh – and that’s why aiming to shop at your local farmer’s market is a great way to still eat your favorite food in a more  sustainable manner. This is because your favorite cuts of beef, chicken, fish, and vegetables haven’t traveled thousands of miles the way many produce, such as avocados, often do. 

However, if shopping at the farmer’s market isn’t a viable option – aiming to purchase organic produce and meat or poultry with as little plastic as possible can make a big difference in the overall carbon footprint, as well. 

Overall, the carbon footprint of your favorite food might not be the smallest – but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a million different ideas on how you can reduce your carbon footprint with your eating habits and everywhere else in the world.

If reading this article about the carbon footprint of your favorite food has made you interested in reducing your carbon emissions to further fight against climate change – Greenly can help you!

Businesses across the food industry may find it challenging to reduce their emissions and make use of their scarce supply of food, but Greenly is here to help – click here to book a demo and learn more about how we can help you to measure and reduce your various scope emissions. We’ve already helped others in the food industry, and we believe we can help your company achieve the same results. 

Greenly can help you make an environmental change for the better, starting with a carbon footprint assessment to know how much carbon emissions your company produces.