Frequently Asked Questions
Compiled from thousands of customer inquiries. Questions are ordered by frequency.
Eaternity is a Swiss climate-tech company founded in 2008 in Zurich. Our mission: "Every meal helps restore the planet."
What we provide: Environmental impact calculations for food (CO₂, water, deforestation, animal welfare) through our Environmental Operating System (EOS).
Our reach: 1,000+ restaurants, 20+ countries, 20+ team members in food science, LCA methodology, and software development.
Methodology & Data
How does the CO₂ score / climate calculation work?
Our climate score is based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology following ISO 14040/14044 standards.
What we measure:
- All greenhouse gases converted to CO₂ equivalents (CO₂e)
- Full product lifecycle: farming, processing, transport, packaging, refrigeration
Key factors in calculations:
- Origin & transport: Where ingredients come from and how they're shipped
- Production method: Conventional vs. organic, greenhouse vs. field
- Processing: Energy used in manufacturing
- Packaging: Materials and disposal
For detailed methodology, see our Methodology Documentation.
What data/ingredients do you cover?
Our Eaternity Database (EDB) contains 950+ food items with complete environmental data, backed by 55,000+ data points from 15+ years of research.
Coverage:
- 162 countries for origin-based calculations
- Multiple production methods per ingredient (organic, conventional, etc.)
- Regional factors for transport, energy mix, and water scarcity
Categories: Fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, meat, poultry, fish, seafood, dairy products and alternatives, oils, fats, condiments, processed foods and beverages.
Special tracking: Palm oil (deforestation risk), soy products (origin), beef (grass-fed vs. feedlot).
Can't find an ingredient? Contact us - we can add custom ingredients.
For database details, see Database Overview.
How accurate/reliable is your data?
Data sources:
- Ecoinvent database (leading LCA database)
- FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)
- National agricultural statistics
- Published scientific studies
- Industry-specific data from partners
Quality assurance:
- Third-party validated by independent researchers
- Conservative estimates where data gaps exist
- Regular updates as new research becomes available
- Full data provenance tracking
For uncertainty handling, see our Methodology Documentation.
Access & Pricing
How can I get access / start a trial?
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Free Trial: Our Gastro Professional plan includes a free trial. Visit our pricing page.
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Demo Request: For enterprise solutions or Score product, contact us for a personalized demo.
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Onboarding: We configure your menu/product list. Enterprise plans include personal onboarding sessions.
Timeline: Typical setup takes 1-2 weeks.
What does Eaternity cost?
Pricing varies by product and usage volume. Visit our pricing pages for current rates:
- Gastro Pricing — For restaurants & caterers
- Score Pricing — For product manufacturers
- API/EOS Pricing — For developers
For volume discounts or custom solutions, contact us.
Do you operate in my country?
Yes! Eaternity operates globally with customers in 20+ countries across Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific.
Currency support: EUR (Eurozone), CHF (Switzerland), USD (Americas, Asia-Pacific)
Regional adaptations: Transport distances from actual origins, local energy mix in processing, regional water scarcity factors.
USA-specific: We have US-based customers and our database includes North American agricultural data.
Business Use
Can I use this for my restaurant/business?
Eaternity is designed for food businesses - from single cafes to major food service companies.
What you get:
- Menu analysis: CO₂ scores for every dish
- Monthly reports: Track your environmental progress
- Climate-friendly labels: Highlight sustainable options to guests
- Staff training: Help your team understand the impact
We've helped restaurants reduce their menu's carbon footprint by up to 30%.
See Gastro Overview for details.
Do you have an API?
Yes! Our Environmental Operating System (EOS) provides comprehensive API access.
Capabilities:
- RESTful API for environmental calculations
- Real-time calculations for custom recipes
- Multi-indicator support: CO₂, water, rainforest, animal welfare, health
- Full access to our ingredient database
Technical specs:
- Modern Python/PostgreSQL architecture
- Cloud-native deployment (Kubernetes)
- JSON response format
- Comprehensive documentation
Integrates with: Point-of-sale systems, menu management, e-commerce, mobile apps, ERP systems.
API access is included with Enterprise plans or available standalone.
See API Documentation for technical details.
Can you help with sustainability reporting?
Yes! Our data supports ESG and sustainability reporting.
Reporting support:
- Scope 3 emissions: Food procurement is often 20-40% of Scope 3 footprint
- Monthly reports: Automated environmental impact summaries
- Export formats: Compatible with major reporting frameworks
- Historical tracking: Monitor progress over time
Standards alignment: GHG Protocol, Science Based Targets (SBTi), CDP, EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
Enterprise customers receive dedicated reporting support and custom templates.
Technical Questions
Why is veal more CO₂ intense than beef?
Veal originates from calves, beef from grown cattle. The slaughter weight and meat proportion are proportionally similar for both. However, since cattle have much more weight, the resources and emissions are allocated accordingly per kg of meat.
Domestic calf fattening mainly uses surplus milk from dairy farming and by-products from milk processing in combination with rearing feed. The share of milk is much higher for calves:
- Organic fattening: 56.7% of emissions are due to milk
- IP fattening (Swiss integrated production): 72.4% of emissions from milk and milk powder
Another significant factor is that calves enter fattening from dairy farming at about one month old. The longer lifespan of cattle leads to more direct animal emissions:
- IP cattle: 47.8% direct emissions
- Organic cattle: 60.6% direct emissions (due to roughage-based feeding)
Why does basmati rice have higher emissions than long-grain rice?
Basmati rice cultivation is associated with more water-demanding irrigation practices compared to regular long-grain rice. This leads to higher energy consumption for the pumps and slightly higher methane emissions overall.
Why does eggplant have a poor CO₂ balance even in summer?
If eggplant is purchased in July–September (cultivation starts earlier), no heating energy is included in the calculation. However, the current model includes year-round cultivation in an (unheated) greenhouse. This means additional emissions from greenhouse operation are included even in summer months.
In future models, it will be possible to differentiate more specifically between cultivation regions—not only regarding transport distance, but also whether and for how long a greenhouse is used.
App Usage
How should I handle recipe duplicates in the Eaternity App?
In the Eaternity App, recipe naming must be unique since recipes can be used as sub-recipes.
Best practices:
- When modifying a sub-recipe (e.g., "Bechamel sauce" in "Lasagne"), change the name
- Add dates to modified recipes: "Bechamel sauce 2024-09-26"
When deleting:
- Main recipes can be deleted anytime
- Remove or rename modified sub-recipes first to avoid duplicates
For more tips, see App Usage Tips.
Need More Help?
- Contact Support: eaternity.org/contact
- API Documentation: API Reference
- Methodology: Scientific Methodology