United Kingdom: The carbon footprint of a full English breakfast, and how to reduce it
United Kingdom
Published Sep 15, 2021
Tridge summary
Over four-fifths of the English population say they enjoy a full English breakfast. But when food production accounts for a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, and 11% of UK emissions come from agriculture, it's time to think critically about how we can reduce the impact of our breakfasts—without compromising on quality or taste.
Original content
Our research, originally conducted for a BBC Radio 5 Live investigation, takes a look at how to make your first meal of the day lower carbon. Cooking at home can account for up to 27% of total emissions for meat products and up to 61% for vegetables. The good news is that a full English breakfast is fairly quick to make compared to, for example, a roast dinner, reducing emissions associated with cooking processes. The carbon footprint of a full English is also less than a roast dinner, thanks to its staple meats—sausage and bacon—being derived from pork rather than emissions-intensive red meats such as beef or lamb. Beef has multiple times the environmental impact of pork, since cattle are "ruminants"—animals with complex stomach systems containing greenhouse gas-producing microbes. But the majority of the carbon footprint of this breakfast still comes from its meat: 34% from the sausage and 29% from the bacon. The second greatest carbon culprit is usually tomatoes. These ...
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