Climate Benchmarks
Climate benchmarks establish the reference points for rating food products based on their CO₂ equivalent emissions.
Benchmark Methodology
Foods are rated by comparing their CO₂e per Daily Food Unit (DFU) against average consumption patterns. The benchmark is calculated from actual purchasing data in the food service industry.
Data Sample
The baseline was established using:
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Businesses analyzed | 150 |
| Products analyzed | 160,545 |
| Data period | 2019-2021 |
| Industry sectors | System catering for businesses, industry, schools, universities, healthcare |
| Geographic focus | Primarily Switzerland |
The 150 businesses analyzed are deliberately not Eaternity customers. This was chosen to avoid potential bias, as Eaternity customers might have already improved their carbon footprint. This ensures a realistic representation of the catering industry.
Benchmark Value
3,894 g CO₂ per Daily Food Unit (DFU)
This value represents the average CO₂e emissions per DFU across all analyzed food purchases, including processing emissions.
| Consumption Level | Daily CO₂ | Annual CO₂ |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended (2000 kcal) | 3.89 kg | 1.42 tonnes |
| Worldwide average (2870 kcal) | 5.58 kg | 2.04 tonnes |
| Germany average (3500 kcal) | 6.81 kg | 2.49 tonnes |
Validation Against Global Studies
The "bottom-up" calculation aligns with published "top-down" studies showing that 34% of all global CO₂e emissions are attributed to the food system. With 50 gigatons per year globally, this corresponds to approximately 2 tonnes per person per year—which matches our calculated value of ~5.5 kg CO₂ per person per day.
Processing Emissions
Food processing adds approximately 6% to total CO₂ emissions. The calculation considers 22 distinct processing steps:
| Category | Processing Steps |
|---|---|
| Heat treatments | Baking, cooking, grilling/frying, deep frying, pasteurizing, roasting |
| Physical processes | Cutting, crushing, mixing, pressing, extraction, filtering |
| Preservation | Drying, smoking, cooling, freezing, freeze drying |
| Other | Carbonating (beverages), fermenting, germination, distilling, storage |
Processing Impact by Category
Processing contribution varies significantly by food category:
| Category | Base CO₂ | Processing CO₂ | Total CO₂/FU | Processing Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potato products | 59,462 kg | 67,296 kg | 0.804 | 53% |
| Insects | 473 kg | 278 kg | 0.500 | 37% |
| Milk alternatives | 27,112 kg | 13,946 kg | 1.611 | 34% |
| Soups | 858 kg | 334 kg | 0.746 | 28% |
| Beverages | 699,738 kg | 245,729 kg | 1.288 | 26% |
| Legumes | 13,946 kg | 4,779 kg | 0.452 | 26% |
| Convenience foods | 182,184 kg | 58,859 kg | 0.713 | 24% |
| Bakery products | 1,029,735 kg | 249,960 kg | 0.422 | 20% |
| Seasoning | 204,860 kg | 50,211 kg | 1.825 | 20% |
| Fruits/Vegetables | 698,646 kg | 162,174 kg | 0.651 | 19% |
| Meat alternatives | 25,954 kg | 6,143 kg | 0.406 | 19% |
| Meat products | 1,922,423 kg | 73,913 kg | 1.275 | 4% |
| Fish/seafood | 374,064 kg | 16,831 kg | 1.259 | 4% |
| Cheese | 660,794 kg | 9,271 kg | 0.825 | 1% |
Products with high inherent emissions (like meat and fish) have low processing shares because the base emission dominates. Products with low inherent emissions (like potatoes and legumes) show high processing shares because cooking and preparation become the dominant factor.
Rating Thresholds
Products are rated based on their CO₂e/DFU relative to the benchmark:
| Rating | Description | Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| A | Climate-friendly | ≥50% below benchmark |
| B | Good | Better than average |
| C | Average | Around benchmark |
| D | Above average | Up to 2× benchmark |
| E | High impact | >4× benchmark |
Understanding the A Rating
A product receives an A rating when it achieves at least 50% reduction compared to the benchmark. This threshold is based on the scientific target of reducing food system emissions by 50% to stay within planetary boundaries (as outlined in the IPCC Special Report and Eat-Lancet Commission).
Category Breakdown
Complete emissions data by food category (2019-2021):
| Category | CO₂/FU (total) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Seasoning | 1.825 kg | Includes dried spices, oils |
| Milk alternatives | 1.611 kg | Often from water-scarce regions |
| Beverages | 1.288 kg | Includes carbonation |
| Meat products | 1.275 kg | Lowest processing share |
| Fish/seafood | 1.259 kg | Low processing share |
| Yoghurt | 1.139 kg | Includes fermentation |
| Cheese | 0.825 kg | Minimal processing |
| Potato products | 0.804 kg | Highest processing share |
| Sweets | 0.778 kg | Includes chocolate |
| Eggs | 0.666 kg | |
| Fruits/Vegetables | 0.651 kg | Varies widely by type |
| Cereals | 0.650 kg | |
| Dessert | 0.629 kg | |
| Snacks | 0.603 kg | |
| Pasta/Spätzli | 0.562 kg | |
| Chocolate | 0.527 kg | |
| Sauces/Pastes | 0.472 kg | |
| Legumes | 0.452 kg | |
| Bakery products | 0.422 kg | |
| Müesli | 0.424 kg | |
| Meat alternatives | 0.406 kg | Plant-based |
| Nuts/Seeds | 0.366 kg | |
| Margarine/Oil | 0.255 kg | Lowest emission density |
Annual Updates
Benchmarks are updated annually to reflect:
- Changes in consumption patterns
- Updated emission factors from Ecoinvent and other sources
- New scientific findings
- Market developments
- Improvements in processing efficiency
Data Sources
Benchmark calculations use:
- Primary data: 160,545 products from 150 food service businesses (2019-2021)
- Emission factors: Eaternity Database (EDB)
- Background processes: Ecoinvent database
- Processing factors: Industry-specific energy consumption data
- Validation: Global food system emission studies (Crippa et al. 2021, IPCC AR6)
See Also
- Climate Score — Understanding CO₂ ratings
- Daily Food Unit — The functional unit
- Methodology Overview — LCA methods