Climate balance of organic and conventional foodstuffs compared

Summary

In the discussion regarding the climate-relevance of foodstuffs, the terms regionalism and non-regionalism are often at the center of public debate. Hereby the often much higher CO2-emissions which are generated in agriculture and its inputs as well as in foodstuff processing are regularly neglected. It is also the case that many CO2-balances do not pay due attention – or just do not incorporate - land use change or the climate specific advantages of organic farming.
Every foodstuff causes greenhouse gas emissions (CO2-eq), during production and processing, which contribute toward global warming.
A broad study conducted by FiBL Austria – for the organic brand „Zurück zum Ursprung“of the supermarket chain Hofer/Aldi Süd, investigated the CO2-emissions of organic products and compared these with similar conventional products. In this process the value chain, from agriculture - including its inputs (i.e. the production of fertilizer) - to the supermarket shelf, was taken into account. 95 foodstuffs from organic and conventional agriculture respectively, were subject to comprehensive CO2-balancing. On the basis of the CO2-savings ascertained, a CO2-label has been established, which placed on the packaging of every „Zurück zum Ursprung“-product, makes the climate advantages apparent.