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1 From the Division of Industrial Ecology, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden (AC-K), and the Research Institute on Biodiversity and Environment (Inibioma-Conicet), Bariloche, Argentina (ADG). 2 Presented at the symposium, "Fifth International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition," held in Loma Linda, CA, March 4–6, 2008. 3 Supported by the Swedish Research Council Formas as part of the information project, "Urban households and consumption related resource use: Developing a tool for environmental menu planning." Important contributions also were made by Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (Conicet), Buenos Aires, Argentina. 4 Reprints not available. Address correspondence to A Carlsson-Kanyama, Division of Industrial Ecology, Royal Institute of Technology, SE 100 44, Stockholm, Sweden. E-mail: annika{at}carlsson-kanyama.se.
ABSTRACT
Anthropogenic warming is caused mainly by emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, with agriculture as a main contributor for the latter 2 gases. Other parts of the food system contribute carbon dioxide emissions that emanate from the use of fossil fuels in transportation, processing, retailing, storage, and preparation. Food items differ substantially when GHG emissions are calculated from farm to table. A recent study of 
20 items sold in Sweden showed a span of 0.4 to 30 kg CO2 equivalents/kg edible product. For protein-rich food, such as legumes, meat, fish, cheese, and eggs, the difference is a factor of 30 with the lowest emissions per kilogram for legumes, poultry, and eggs and the highest for beef, cheese, and pork. Large emissions for ruminants are explained mainly by methane emissions from enteric fermentation. For vegetables and fruits, emissions usually are 
2.5 kg CO2 equivalents/kg product, even if there is a high degree of processing and substantial transportation. Products transported by plane are an exception because emissions may be as large as for certain meats. Emissions from foods rich in carbohydrates, such as potatoes, pasta, and wheat, are <1.1 kg/kg edible food. We suggest that changes in the diet toward more plant-based foods, toward meat from animals with little enteric fermentation, and toward foods processed in an energy-efficient manner offer an interesting and little explored area for mitigating climate change.
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