Carbon footprint of food maintenance in Finnish households

Summary

This paper identifies the primary consumer actions having an effect on carbon footprint, their relative importance and their sensitivity to consumer choice concerning food maintenance. Food maintenance (transportation, preservation and preparation of food) of a Finnish household produces annually 170 kilograms of CO2-equivalent per individual as an average which corresponds approximately 2 % of the greenhouse gas emissions of private consumption. Of transportation, preservation and preparation, we find the preservation as the most important source of greenhouse gas emissions.