Understanding the Carbon Footprints of What We Eat

Eat local. Avoid red meat. Beef is bad. The media is full of messages about food. Navigating the world of food choices can be challenging and overwhelming. Here is where some knowledge of food, and bit of science, can help. With science, we can identify the number of calories in a food item. We can also easily understand the amount of protein or fat to help us choose to eat – or avoid – particular foods. Need more vitamin C? Food labels can also help us identify vitamin contents. Want to know whether a product is clean label? Food labels have your answer! However, a lasting challenge we have as consumers is being able to identify and assess the environmental impact of foods that we eat. In comes the CO2 equivalent as a solution. CO2 equivalent, or CO2e, is a common unit of measurement that allows us to standardize greenhouse ...