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Food

1 kg food waste (EU average composition)

1 kg ruokahävikkiä (EU:n keskimääräinen koostumus)

17.5
Truecost score
Data confidence: HIGH

FAO data comprehensive and widely cited. EU-specific composition adjustments add some uncertainty.

Each kilogram of food waste produces ~2.5 kg CO₂e — more than the food's own weight. This includes production emissions plus methane from landfill decomposition.

Did you know? If food waste were a country, it would be the world's third-largest greenhouse gas emitter after China and the United States.
Transparent calculation

How was this number determined?

The Truecost score is calculated from absolute physical values. Each row below shows the measured value, how it was normalized, and where it comes from.

Dimension Absolute value Score 100 = Normalized Weight Weighted Confidence
Carbon Emissions 2.5 kg CO₂e 9.5 kg CO₂e 26.32 ×0.35 9.21 HIGH
Water Consumption 750.0 liters 3840 liters 19.53 ×0.2 3.91 MEDIUM
Land Use 3.5 m²·year 51 m²·year 6.86 ×0.2 1.37 MEDIUM
Waste 1.0 kg 5 kg 20.0 ×0.15 3.00 HIGH
Toxicity 0.5 µDALY 162 µDALY 0.31 ×0.1 0.03 LOW
Truecost score (weighted sum) 17.5

Share of your annual planetary budget

Carbon Emissions 0.26%
Water Consumption 0.20%
Land Use 0.07%
Waste 0.20%
Toxicity <0.01%
Source data by dimension

Where do the absolute values come from?

Carbon Emissions
HIGH
FAO (2015): global food waste carbon footprint 3.3 Gt CO₂e from 1.3 Gt food waste = 2.54 kg CO₂e/kg. EU composition similar to global average. Includes production emissions + landfill methane (CH₄ is 25x more potent GHG).
  • FAO (2015): Food wastage footprint & climate change
  • Our World in Data (2024): Food waste emissions — 6% of global GHG
  • WRAP (2023): Food waste carbon footprint methodology

Varies 1.5–4.5 kg CO₂e/kg depending on food type. Meat waste much higher than vegetable waste.

Water Consumption
MEDIUM
FAO: global food waste water footprint ~250 km³/year from ~1.3 Gt waste. Per kg: ~190 L blue water. But total water footprint (incl. green water) is ~750 L/kg when weighted by EU food composition (30% cereals, 25% fruits/veg, 15% dairy, 10% meat, 20% other).
  • FAO (2013): Food wastage footprint — impacts on natural resources
  • Mekonnen & Hoekstra (2011): Water footprint of food products

Green water (rain) dominates. Blue water (irrigation) ~190 L/kg. Total depends heavily on food composition.

Land Use
MEDIUM
FAO: food waste occupies ~1.4 billion ha of agricultural land globally from 1.3 Gt waste. Per kg: ~10.8 m²·year. EU composition is less land-intensive (less beef): ~3.5 m²·year/kg.
  • FAO (2013): Food wastage footprint — land use

If the wasted food is meat-heavy, land use per kg is much higher.

Waste
HIGH
1 kg food waste = 1 kg waste by definition. In landfill, produces ~0.5 m³ methane over decomposition period.
  • EEA (2023): Bio-waste management in Europe
Toxicity
LOW
Pesticide residues in decomposing food. Landfill leachate can contaminate groundwater with heavy metals and organic compounds.
  • EEA (2023): Landfill impacts on groundwater

Composting eliminates most toxicity concerns. Landfill disposal is the problem.

Comparisons

Methodology

FAO food wastage footprint data (2013, 2015) applied to EU average food composition. Carbon includes both production-phase emissions and end-of-life methane.

Sources