Introduction – Carbon Footprint Of Processed Agricultural Products
Carbon footprint of processed products, largely from non-animal, agricultural sources. Data was obtained from caloric values per kg of each meat and also a study by researchers Petersson and Castaldi 2021. We will present the data in both table and chart form. Carbon intensity must be estimated by considering the process of production. There are not technologies that measure it directly. Because each study estimates carbon intensity differently, there will be discrepancies between values given here and elsewhere on this site. Consider averaging over multiple sources to get the most accurate estimate.
Beer and chocolate are high in calories because they contain a lot of sugar and carbohydrates. The sugar and carbohydrates are the main sources of energy for the body, so when consumed, they are converted into calories. Additionally, beer contains alcohol which is also a calorie-dense nutrient.
Go here for all other food categories and the carbon footprints.
Carbon Footprint Of Processed Agricultural Products – Table
| Food item | Carbon kg CO2eq/kg |
| beer in can | 0.69 |
| beer in glass | 0.96 |
| beer modular can | 0.53 |
| chocolate or cream filled cookies | 1.53 |
| simple cookies | 1.39 |
| mineral water | 0.49 |
| bread multicereal | 0.70 |
| bread plain | 0.89 |
| bread whole | 0.77 |
| bread frozen | 1.31 |
| cornflakes | 2.64 |
| dark chocolate | 2.71 |
| milk chocolate | 3.60 |
| coffee ground | 5.13 |
| coffee parchment | 8.29 |
| coffee drip filtered | 0.60 |
| coffee soluble powder | 0.33 |
| espresso | 0.55 |
| flavored crackers | 0.93 |
| plain crackers | 1.35 |
| wholegrain crackers | 0.97 |
| crispbread | 1.35 |
| ketchup | 1.46 |
| mayonnaise | 2.04 |
| tempe’ | 1.10 |
| egg pasta | 3.15 |
| raspberries (f) | 1.18 |
| apple juice (i) | 2.84 |
| blueberry juice (i) | 3.00 |
| cranberry juice (i) | 2.88 |
| fig juice (i) | 3.20 |
| kiwi juice (i) | 2.84 |
| mango juice (i) | 2.96 |
| pineapple juice (i) | 2.78 |
| strawberry juice (i) | 2.68 |
| orange juice | 0.46 |
| pear juice | 0.49 |
| buckwheat flour | 1.96 |
| durum wheat | 0.47 |
| graham flour | 0.47 |
| maize flour | 1.31 |
| millet flour | 1.37 |
| oat meal | 0.87 |
| sorghum flour | 1.33 |
| wheat plain flour | 0.52 |
| whole wheat flour | 0.36 |
| chocolate | 6.60 |
| ice cream | 1.02 |
| vanilla | 4.30 |
| azuki bean flour | 1.32 |
| mung bean flour | 1.49 |
| soy meal | 0.62 |
| beans in can | 0.11 |
| green beans in can | 1.45 |
| beans (f) | 1.77 |
| green beans (f) | 2.74 |
| margarine* | 1.39 |
| almond covered with chocolate | 4.80 |
| hazelnut covered with chocolate | 3.43 |
| almond paste | 2.98 |
| hazelnut cream | 2.71 |
| hazelnut paste | 1.69 |
| peanut butter | 1.15 |
| peanut paste | 1.84 |
| olive oil | 3.27 |
| palm oil | 2.43 |
| peanut oil | 2.90 |
| rapeseed oil | 1.79 |
| soybean oil | 1.79 |
| sunflower oil | 0.98 |
| pasta | 1.21 |
| pesto | 2.71 |
| pesto without garlic | 2.72 |
| beet sugar | 0.94 |
| cane sugar | 0.62 |
| cakes and croissant | 2.14 |
| cocoa cakes and croissant | 1.94 |
| tomato chopped | 1.47 |
| tomato peeled | 1.30 |
| tomato puree | 1.03 |
| tomato & basil | 1.14 |
| tomato arrabbiata | 1.24 |
| carrots canned | 1.60 |
| corn canned | 1.36 |
| carrots (f) | 0.27 |
| zucchini (f) | 1.35 |
| soy cream | 1.62 |
| almond milk | 0.42 |
| coconut milk | 0.41 |
| rice milk | 0.66 |
| soy milk | 0.78 |
| quorne | 2.50 |
| soy burger | 1.48 |
| tofu | 2.27 |
| soy yogurt | 1.36 |
| wine red (see: box wine) | 0.87 |
| wine white (see: box wine) | 0.44 |
| yeast compressed | 0.82 |
| yeast dried | 3.29 |
| yeast liquid | 0.50 |
Carbon Footprint Of Processed Agricultural Products – Chart
Anne Lauer
Anna Lauer is a writer, gardener, and homesteader living in rural Wisconsin. She has written for Mother Earth News, Grit, and Hobby Farms magazines. Anna is writing a new book about growing your food for free and an ultimate guide to producing food at little to no cost. When she’s not writing or gardening, Anna enjoys spending time with her husband and two young daughters.