This “Food Calculator” Will Change What Your Favorite Foods Are

We often hear people saying they want to reduce their carbon footprint without knowing how big their footprint actually is. Thanks to a new “food calculator” brought to us by the BBC, we can see just how much our food choices impact the environment, and chances are, you’re going to feel guilty as heck.

The calculator allows us to choose a food and how often we eat said food per week. We then receive a calculation of how much our eating habits contribute to annual greenhouse gas emissions. So, for example, if a person eats an avocado once or twice per week, they’re annual contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is 15kg.

That number is equal to driving a car filled with regular gas for 39 minutes, heating the average U.S. home for two days, and taking 54 eight-minute showers.

The calculator was created by Joseph Poore of the University of Oxford and Thomas Nemecek of the Agroecology and Environment Research Division in Zurich, Switzerland. They first analyzed the impact of 40 major food items, which represent the majority of what people eat around the globe.

Poore and Nemecek then looked into the amount of land and water needed to produce these food products, from processing all the way to transportation. They were then able to provide average global calculations for us to take into consideration.

Quit meat? Cut chocolate? 🍗🍫🍌🥑

How green is your diet? Use our carbon footprint calculator to find out 👉 https://t.co/V0a2Edez2W pic.twitter.com/8HcwPRZwJn

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) December 14, 2018

According to the BBC, a University of Oxford study found that a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions come from food production. And half of all food emissions come from animal products.

The BBC states that the calculator can be used to help consumers decrease their environmental impact. One can start with consuming less dairy and meat, both of which are huge perpetrators of greenhouse gas emissions, and buying locally sourced foods.

strikingly good comparisons, such an insightful approach to raise awareness of everyone's individual consumptions! extremely well done, thank you!

— ais (@unbatt) December 14, 2018

😂😘 pic.twitter.com/Hqv8HJIpU4

— Live Monitor (@amlivemon) December 14, 2018

However, a lot of people are having a hard time coping with the thought of losing their chocolate and meat.

"quit meat, cut chocolate, stop living!!

— Ricky James (@RickyJa10851531) December 14, 2018

pic.twitter.com/lpb7DPMIRb

— Malc (@HellholeIsland) December 14, 2018

Although individual protest of food production responsible for global warming is wonderful, many Twitter users are bringing up the fact that large corporations are mainly to blame for the spike in recent greenhouse gas emission levels.

so people going plastic free, lessening their carbon footprint, going vegan,etc will not solve the problem. bc the problem is concentrated wealth that’s circulating between a minority who happen to own industries with the biggest impact on the environment

— َ (@letperrierest) November 14, 2018

Nice gimmick but the pressure should be on government and politicians to combat climate change. That will make the biggest difference quickest. Then the change will filter down to us- regular people.

— kris (@BigBossDawg84) December 14, 2018

Bigger companies blaming the people for their mess in the world. I will eat chocolate and meat thanks. Perhaps they could pollute less and actually care about the environment.

— Time-to-eat-water (@Timetoeatwater1) December 14, 2018

Like anything else, putting the blame on one party or another will be an endless debate.

Watching people commenting to justify their desire for meat and dairy when confronted with the damage it does to the planet is depressing. A bunch of (mostly) adults shifting the responsibility for their actions to others. pic.twitter.com/MUzVwH0spW

— Trent L. Cannon (@TrentLCannon) December 14, 2018

Animal agriculture is one of the highest contributors to climate change. This has been know for a long time. You can’t disagree with facts. All these comments on this thread are idiotic.

— sèra 🌑🐈‍⬛ (@serabean27) December 14, 2018

Whichever side of the line you stand on, the food calculator is a great tool for better understanding the impact of food production on the Earth. It’s worth investigating, even though the guilt is hard to bear.