Food and

climate change

How can you cook more sustainably?

kgCO2e ?
 0%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
90%
100%

10%
80%
Pasta (dry)
Rice (dry)
Potatoes
Carrots

Source: Frankowska et al (2020).

Tomatoes

Pre-consumption
Frozen peas
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Mushrooms
Onions

Cooking
Apples
Citrus fruits
Strawberries
Milk
Cheese
Eggs
Bacon
Beef
Lamb
Pork
Climate change impact [kg CO2 e/kg]

Chicken
White fish
Oily fish (salmon)
Beans or chickpeas…
Baked beans
Tofu
Quorn
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
 Climate change impact of beef meat

Cooking [kgCO2e/kg] Beef

160 Pre-consumption [kgCO2e/kg]
Cooking time [minutes] 100 min
140

120
50 min
100

80
0 min
60

40 -50 min

20

0 -100 min

Roast or Boil on the Shallow fry Deep fry Deep fry Steamer Steamer Toast, Electric Slow Pressure Pressure
bake in the stove on stove (hob) (electric) (hob) (electric) broil, or grill cooker cooker cooker
oven grill in the (hob) (electric)
oven

Source: Frankowska et al (2020).

 Climate change impact of chicken
40.00
Chicken 35.00 100 min

30.00
50 min
25.00

20.00
Cooking [kgCO2e/kg] 0 min
15.00
Pre-consumption [kgCO2e/kg] 10.00 -50 min
5.00
Cooking time [minutes]
0.00 -100 min
Toast,
Roast or Shallow
Boil on Deep fry Deep fry Steamer Steamer broil, or Electric Slow
bake in fry on
the stove (hob) (electric) (hob) (electric) grill in grill cooker
the oven stove
the oven
Total [kgCO2e/kg] 17.35 13.01 14.91 13.99 13.69 14.54 13.01 15.89 12.76 12.05
Cooking [kgCO2e/kg] 5.73 1.40 3.30 2.38 2.07 2.93 1.39 4.27 1.14 0.43
Pre-consumption [kgCO2e/kg] 11.62 11.62 11.62 11.62 11.62 11.62 11.62 11.62 11.62 11.62
Cooking time [minutes] 55 min 20 min 45 min 34 min 34 min 40 min 40 min 41 min 20 min 52 min

Source: Frankowska et al (2020).

 Climate change impact [kg CO2 e/kg]

7.0
30 min
Potatoes 6.0
25 min
Cooking [kgCO2e/kg] 5.0
20 min
4.0
Pre-consumption [kgCO2e/kg]
15 min
3.0
Cooking time [minutes]
10 min
2.0

1.0 5 min

0.0 0 min
Boil on the Roast or bake Deep fry Shallow fry on Steamer Toast, broil, or
Microwave Deep fry (hob) Steamer (hob)
stove in the oven (electric) stove (electric) grill in the oven
Total impact [kgCO2e/kg] 1.87 3.28 1.33 2.29 2.21 1.86 2.17 1.60 3.13
Cooking [kgCO2e/kg] 0.86 2.27 0.33 1.29 1.20 0.86 1.17 0.59 2.12
Pre-consumption [kgCO2e/kg] 1.01 1.01 1.01 1.01 1.01 1.01 1.01 1.01 1.01
Cooking time [minutes] 21 min 30 min 15 min 24 min 24 min 16 min 29 min 29 min 28 min

Source: Frankowska et al (2020).

 Summary
 GHGe vary by cooking method and appliance
 Cooking contributes between 6% - 61% to the total impacts
 Most common cooking methods: boiling, shallow frying, roasting/baking
 Other cooking methods greatly under-used (slow & pressure cooking)
 Generally, oven use cause the greatest climate change impact
 Cautious use of ovens/combining cooking methods
 Control pre-heating time
 Consider pre-cooking (boiling/microwaving/frying)
 Cooking impacts can be reduced:
 By reducing cooking time (e.g. cooking under pressure)
 By using low energy appliances (e.g. microwaves, electr. pressure cooker)
 Thank you

How home cooking methods and appliances affect

the GHG emissions food

https://rdcu.be/cb3k5

kgCO2e ?