The Environmental Impact of Common Foods

Anthropocene magazine reports that a team of UK researchers aiming to provide sustainability guidance for consumers has ranked the environmental impact of over 57,000 common foods and drinks, using an algorithm they developed. Fruits and vegetables had low impacts, but surprisingly, so did sugary drinks, being mostly water. Many vegetable proteins like soy milks and vegetable burgers, had less than a tenth of the impact of their animal-based equivalents. Pastries and desserts, ready-meals and pizzas all fell in the middle, while meat, fish, and cheese all ranked high on the impact scale—alongside surprising items like nuts, due to the vast amount of water and fertilizer they require. While fruits and vegetables, cereals, some breads and vegetable proteins were “a win-win” for both environmental and human health, “some foods should be ‘avoided’ in environmental and nutritional terms because they ranked poorly on both—including chocolate and cheese, a fact that might break a few hearts" (including your ExchangeEveryDay editor's). Furthermore, the researchers found “beef sausages had a 240% greater environmental impact than sausages made from pork, which in turn had a 100% greater impact than sausages made from chicken,” suggesting even small shifts among similar products could yield big [environmental] benefits.

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