May 9: The carbon footprint of meal kits compared with grocery meals (there’s a 33% difference)

Source: Center for Sustainable Systems, UMich

Source: Center for Sustainable Systems, UMich
Published: November 2018

The Carbon Footprint of Meal Kits Compared with Grocery Meals (There’s a 33% Difference)

Circulated: May 9, 2019

• On average, grocery meal greenhouse gas emissions are 33% higher than meal kits (8.1 kg CO2e/meal versus 6.1 kg CO2e/meal)

• Streamlined and direct-to-consumer supply chains (−1.05 kg CO2e/meal)

• Reduced food waste (−0.86 kg CO2e/meal)

• Lower last-mile transportation emissions (−0.45 kg CO2e/meal)

• Refrigeration packs compared with retail refrigeration (−0.37 kg CO2e/meal)

• Increases in food packaging (0.17 kg CO2e/meal)