Find out what measures you can take to help reduce food related carbon emissions
Food emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions come from all aspects of our lives, even from the food we eat. Being conscious of the food you buy can ultimately have an impact on the amount of greenhouse gases emitted. The meat we eat, the milk we drink and the exotic and unseasonal fruit and vegetables we import all contribute to increases in global emissions.
Reduce your food waste
It's been estimated that the average UK family will end up spending roughly £470 a year on food which ends up not being eaten. It’s estimated that up to 10 million tonnes of food are wasted in the UK every year. So, one simple way to reduce your emissions is to think a bit more about your weekly shop:
- Plan your meals around the ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates so that you ensure you use your food before it goes bad.
- Consider composting your food waste. You can find more information about composting on our composting page.
View our page on food waste bin collections for more information.
Consider your meat and dairy consumption habits
Meat and dairy production contribute an estimated 14.5% to global greenhouse gas emissions. One way to reduce emissions from your food consumption is to eat a little bit less meat and dairy.
What we eat is personal choice but considering reducing consumption through one or two meat and dairy free days a week can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. You can also look at buying organic meat and dairy, which are produced thorough a low intensity system and therefore are less intensive in producing emissions.