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Reducing Your Food Emissions

The following chart shows the CO2 emissions associated with different types of foods.

There are very high emissions associated with getting that piece of red meat on your dinner plate. First of all there are emissions associated with the use of fertilisers for growing pasture and grain used to feed livestock. Secondly most livestock produce significant emissions of methane - a very potent greenhouse gas.

Hopefully this chart is clear - eat less red meat!!

For those of us who love our red meat, it may seem a big ask to reduce our red meat intake. However for the average household in Australia, emissions associated with the food consumed represents the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions for the household - more than 25%. So if you are truly serious about reducing your emissions, consideration must be given to reducing your red meat intake. This doesn't necessarily mean becoming vegetarian. As the chart above shows, chicken, fish and eggs are all relatively low in emissions and are good alternatives to red meat (though not as good as vegetables).

The good news is that there is one red meat readily available in Australia that is low in emissions - Kangaroo! 

I've got a range of recipes on my website that are all low in carbon. Check these out here

You can also reduce your food-related emissions by buying local produce and reducing the amount of processed foods that you eat. The act of processing food typically results in the generation of greenhouse gases. So eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and prepare food at home.

There are an increasing number of Farmers' Markets available in Western Australia. Farmers' Markets are fantastic as you not only get locally grown food, you also ensure that the farmers receive the profits for their efforts. There are currently Farmers' Markets in the following locations in Western Australia:

  • City Farm Organic Farmers' Market: Saturday 8am-12pm
  • Mt Claremont Primary School: Saturdays 8am-12pm
  • North Fremantle - Corner High Street and Marmion Street: Sundays 8am-12pm
  • Carnarvon
  • Albany 

Even better than buying local fruit and vegetables is growing your own. With fruit and vegetable prices increasing rapidly as fuel prices rise, this is an attractive option.  

The last area in which you can reduce your food-related emissions is by reducing the amount of food packaging. You can do this by avoiding any foods that come individually wrapped portions (eg large packets of potato chips with individually wrapped servings, individually wrapped tea bags etc). Some stores have large containers of non-perishable goods such as beans, rice, pasta, spices, flours and nuts. Buying these items in bulk will ensure that you minimise any packaging.