In a study from 2010, the USDA estimated that about 31% of the food produced in the U.S. report, if food waste were a country, its production, processing and distribution would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, just behind the U.S. But to get the whole picture, Heard says you need to consider emissions from fertilizer production, farm equipment and processing operations and how that food gets distributed.Ī substantial chunk of food's carbon footprint is waste, much of which happens during distribution and consumption.

A small part of this is producing the plastic that keeps food fresh. The plastic that keeps food fresh certainly contributes to food's carbon footprint. One study estimates it is responsible for 19% to 29% of annual greenhouse gas emissions. What really ends up mattering is the quantity of food wasted throughout the supply chain.'įood production has a huge carbon footprint. candidate at the University of Michigan and first author of the study, says, 'When you zoom out and look at the whole life cycle, packaging is a relatively small contributor to the overall environmental impacts of a meal.

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