All food has an impact.
Here's how we calculate it.
Eaternity's system is built on the most comprehensive food LCA database available today. It helps you understand, compare, and reduce the environmental and health impacts of food based on real science, not assumptions.
Built for transparency.
Backed by science.
Every Eaternity calculation is based on a detailed life cycle assessment. That means we calculate the environmental and health impact of food from farm to fork, covering production, transport, packaging, processing, retail and cooking.
From raw data to ready scores.
The Eaternity assessment is made up of four environmental indicators and one health indicator, each backed by detailed science and data models.
The Eaternity Score is based on a scientific baseline built from over 160,000 products purchased by 150 large caterers. This shows the average CO₂ impact of what people eat in a day, including common processing steps like cooking or freezing.
Each menu or product's Score is then measured against this baseline, so you instantly see if it performs better or worse than average.
Our methodology is constantly reviewed, peer-referenced, and aligned with international standards. We integrate the best-available data for over 3,500 ingredients and update regularly based on seasonality, sourcing and certification.
Climate is the core of every score
Food accounts for about ⅓ of global greenhouse gas emissions. Our Climate Score includes full LCA emissions from farm to plate.
The carbon footprint of a food is measured with a life cycle assessment (LCA). It is a systematic and quantitative analysis of the environmental impact of every single life stage of a product. Life cycle assessments can thus support us in decision-making by showing which life stages, processes and products have a lower carbon footprint.
All greenhouse gases related to the production of food are expressed in CO₂-equivalents: converted into the amount of carbon dioxide with a similar climate impact. In general, when we talk about CO₂-emissions we actually refer to CO₂-equivalent emissions.
We measure climate impact by analyzing:
Origin of production
Geographic sourcing impacts
Farming method
Organic vs conventional practices
Processing & packaging
Manufacturing energy use
Transport
Mode and distance traveled
Energy in preparation
Cooking and storage requirements
Intelligent assumptions
Historical models fill data gaps
We go beyond static averages to reflect real-world complexity. Even if some data is missing, we can make intelligent assumptions from our extensive database and historical models.
Not all water is equal
The water footprint of a product depends on two elements: the amount of fresh water used and the relative water scarcity of the region of production.
Our Water Score focuses on scarce water, not total water use. We calculate liters of water used per product and weigh this against local water scarcity to reflect true impact. This approach avoids misleading comparisons (e.g., rain-fed crops vs. irrigation-heavy farming in dry zones).
Depending on what food is consumed and where the food comes from, every country has a unique list of food products that are typically problematic and contribute most to the national water scarcity footprint.
In Switzerland, the list includes:
Olives
Mediterranean imports
Nuts
Water-intensive crops
Chocolate & coffee
Tropical origins
Milk products
Dairy production
Rice
Paddy cultivation
Beef
Livestock farming
For example, a tomato that is produced in Spain requires 44X more irrigation water than in Switzerland. Because water in Spain is scarcer than in Switzerland, the scarcity footprint of an average Spanish tomato is 2400X higher than an average Swiss tomato.
Food shouldn't cost the forest
Tropical forests store massive amounts of carbon and hold 2/3 of all land-based species even though they only cover 5% of the Earth's land area. They provide us with fresh water and they affect local and global climate and weather patterns.
The production of soy and palm oil, timber production and grazing cattle are the main driver of tropical rainforest deforestation and lead to a tremendous loss in biodiversity.
We track deforestation risks based on the commodity and country of origin.
Key drivers of deforestation include:
Soy
For feed or ingredients
Palm oil
New or expanding plantations
Beef
And derived products
Cocoa & coffee
Growing global demand
Unless certified
Ingredients linked to high deforestation risk receive lower scores unless certified (e.g., RSPO, Rainforest Alliance).
For example, European soy is always a good option and receives the top rating as well. Since 75% of all soy is fed to animals, we also evaluate and label animal products by the type of soy they were fed with.
Caring for animals matters
The Animal Welfare Score reflects housing, feed, treatment, and slaughter practices. Many farmers commit to improve animal welfare by providing more space, natural feed and opportunities for picking and digging.
Products and menus with good animal treatment or no animal product at all receive full marks for the Animal Welfare Score. Labels guarantee that animals were raised under certain minimal standards and are a valuable guide for consumers.
Labels to look for include:
Organic certification
Bio Suisse and equivalents
Free-range
Pasture-fed and outdoor access
Local welfare labels
Suisse Garantie, German tier system
For example, products containing eggs from hens raised under IP Suisse Naturafarm certification receive full marks, while conventional eggs from cage-raised hens score lower due to restricted movement and limited natural behaviors.
Eat for your health, too
The Vita Score is a scientifically grounded indicator of health risks associated with food. Based on the Global Burden of Disease study, it measures risk factors that contribute to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Being aware of how we can supply our body with energy. Eating a balanced diet.
Balanced menus with an appropriate energy content receive the 3-star nutrition rating. An average hot meal should provide about one third of the recommended daily intake of 2200 kcal, which corresponds to 450–850 kcal per meal. The main contributors to energy are fat, protein and carbohydrates. If the share of any of these exceeds the recommended range, it is clearly indicated. This makes it easy to optimize the nutrient composition of a meal.
A balanced meal provides 20–35% of its energy from fat. Ideally, about 45–60% of the energy comes from carbohydrates. The protein content is derived from the remaining calories and falls between 5% and 35%. While European dietary guidelines generally express protein recommendations in grams per kilogram of body weight rather than as percentages, U.S. guidelines explicitly state them. According to the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range, 10–35% of total energy intake should come from protein.
The nutrient content of a meal or product can be evaluated separately and independently.
Key macronutrient ranges for balanced meals:
An average hot meal should provide about one third of the recommended daily intake of 2200 kcal, which corresponds to 450–850 kcal per meal.
The Vita Score evaluates nutritional balance based on established dietary guidelines. It complements environmental data by supporting diets that are both climate-friendly and good for long-term health.
The Vita Score measures:
Energy content
Caloric balance per meal
Macronutrient balance
Fat, carbohydrates, protein ratios
Nutritional quality
Optimal nutrient composition
For example, a meal with balanced macronutrients within the recommended ranges earns a top rating, while meals with excessive fat or insufficient carbohydrates are flagged for optimization.
Validated by experts. Open to collaboration.
Eaternity's methodology is aligned with international standards and continuously improved through collaboration with academic institutions and NGOs.
ISO 14040 & 14044
LCA Standards
GHG Protocol
Scope 3 Emissions
PEF
Product Environmental Footprint (*upcoming)
EOS
Environmental Operating System
Our Environmental Operating System (EOS) serves as an open-source backbone, and we collaborate with academic institutions and NGOs to continuously improve our models.
Did You Know? Test your knowledge.
16 kg of plant protein is needed to produce how much meat?
To sustain our food supply, how much tropical rainforest is cut down every day?
We currently use 182 liters of scarce water per person/per day. But how much do we actually have?
What percentage of all soy produced is fed to animals?
Turning science into action, not fiction.
By combining full life cycle assessments with indicators for climate, water, rainforest protection, animal welfare, and health, Eaternity transforms complex food system data into a clear, trusted framework for decision-making.
It's not just a score. It's a shared language to guide food toward a more sustainable future.
Explore how we are using this data in our products:
Eaternity Gastro
Professional kitchen solutions for sustainable menu planning
Eaternity Score
Product scoring and labeling for retailers and brands
Scientific Methodology & Research
Explore the comprehensive methodologies, research foundations, and peer-reviewed studies behind Eaternity's scoring system.
Methodology Documentation
Climate Score & LCA Framework
Multi-Criteria Environmental Assessment
Health Assessment & Vita Score
Eaternity Research Publications
Life Cycle Assessment Methodology
Comprehensive LCA framework following ISO 14040/14044 standards for systematic environmental impact assessment across the entire food supply chain.
Our LCA methodology represents the gold standard approach to food environmental impact assessment, utilizing systematic and quantitative Life Cycle Assessment principles to analyze environmental impact across every stage of food production and consumption.
ISO Standards Compliance & System Boundaries
- Full compliance with ISO 14040/14044 LCA standards for methodological rigor
- Integration with GHG Protocol Scope 3 emissions methodology
- Cradle-to-plate system boundaries: production, processing, transport, retail
- Functional unit standardization: per kilogram of food product
- Temporal and geographical representativeness validation
LCA Impact Categories & Assessment Methods
- Climate change impact using IPCC characterization factors
- Water use impact through regionalized water scarcity assessment
- Land use change impacts including direct and indirect effects
- Biodiversity assessment through species-area relationship models
- Eutrophication potential from nitrogen and phosphorus emissions
Contact Our Science Team
Get in touch with our researchers and scientists to discuss methodology, collaborations, or technical questions.
Technical Documentation
Access our comprehensive knowledge base with detailed documentation, APIs, and implementation guides.
Visit Knowledge Base