Christie Walker publishes groundbreaking dataset on food emissions

Christie Walker has collaborated with Stephan Pfister to publish a scientific dataset that sets new standards in the analysis of food emissions. In collaboration with ETH Zurich the dataset was published as part of the paper ‘Dataset of Nutrient Content and Regionalised Climate Change Impacts of Food Items per Consumer Country and Life Cycle Stage’ and provides a detailed basis for assessing climate impacts along global food chains.

The dataset covers around 500 food products in 85 consumer countries and shows for the first time how much a product’s carbon footprint varies depending on its country of origin, season, mode of transport, processing, storage and electricity mix. In addition to complete life cycle emissions, it also contains detailed nutritional information, linking ecological and nutritional aspects in a novel way.

The analysis makes it clear that the emissions balance of a foodstuff extends far beyond agricultural production. In many cases, transport, energy-intensive processing steps, and refrigeration and deep-freezing contribute significantly to the overall balance.

For the food industry, research and politics, this dataset is an important step towards greater transparency and comparability. For Niatsu it provides a valuable basis for the further development of our CO2 analyses. Christie’s expertise from this research project flows directly into our work, particularly in the modelling of complex supply chains and the assessment of seasonal and regional differences.

We congratulate Christie on this publication and look forward to applying this knowledge in future projects with our customers to promote data-driven and effective climate strategies.