Study Measures Food Emissions

According to a new study conducted by researchers at Lancaster University and reported in the journal Energy Policy, the British meat and dairy industries release as much greenhouse gas as half the cars in the UK. The study measured greenhouse emissions associated with 61 different foods and determined that fresh meat and cheese have the largest carbon footprints—approximately 37 and 33 pounds of carbon dioxide per pound of food produced, respectively. Researches speculate that if all UK citizens switch to a vegetarian or vegan diet, it could reduce the total greenhouse gases emitted during UK food production by up to 26 percent, potentially saving 40 million tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.