Farm to table – What is the carbon footprint of your dinner?

Have you ever wondered how each item of food on your plate contributes to climate change? Producing just one portion (100g) of fried steak has the equivalent carbon footprint of approximately 30 minutes of driving.

The link between food and greenhouse gases is often overlooked, which is why the interdepartmental Greenhouse Gas and Dietary choices Open Source Toolkit (GGDOT) team at the University are continually working on new ways to spread the message. Led by Professor Sarah Bridle, they have developed resources designed to help you compare the carbon footprint of common food items. From a computer game to flashcards – these free resources are designed to help us all understand where our food comes from, and the climatic impact it has. The team took these resources to their ‘Take a bite out of climate change’ display at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition and Bluedot Festival earlier this year, the stall was a roaring success with consistent engagement from all generations. A promotional video relating to the display can be seen here.

For some people, a major concern with a change in diet can be the nutritional impact of eating different foods, less meat for example, this is where Professor John McLaughlin from the Faculty Biology Medicine Health comes in. He hopes to continue to develop the resources and ensure people have access to accurate dietary information to make healthy choices when reducing their carbon footprint.

Staff from GGDOT are always looking for feedback on their resources and ideas for new resources. Last month a Wellcome Trust funded event took place, designed to involve members of the public in generating new ideas for resources. This event reaped some surprising and educative outcomes for the team and is likely to have an impact on their future direction, showing the importance of public involvement in research.