Food carbon rating system could help reduce our diet's environmental impact

Calculating the environmental impact of each item of food we eat is easier said than done.

Red meat production is particularly high in carbon
emissions, but consumers greatly underestimate it.

A chicken on the table at Christmas in South Australia will have a smaller carbon footprint than its counterpart raised in Queensland — mostly because they're fed different feedstock.

And while some people choose to make broad changes like opting for a vegetarian or vegan diet, there are still big variations between the environmental effects of different vegetables and vegetarian food products.

Fertilisers used in farming, the distance to market, packaging, feedstocks and farming methods are all part of the complex web that determines the environmental footprint of our food.

Read the ABC News story by Nick Kilvert - “Food carbon rating system could help reduce our diet's environmental impact.”