Home

Featured report: Grazed and Confused? It is safe to say that the debate over grass-fed meat has left people either polarised or confused. Is grass-fed better or is it worse for the climate? What’s actually true?

New Foodsource building block: Agricultural methane and its role as a greenhouse gas

Methane has recently received a lot of attention within the food community because of its significance as a greenhouse gas, the large contribution made by the food system, and in particular its link with ruminant livestock (cattle, sheep and goats) and rice production. There is considerable confusion over how we should quantify the climate impacts of methane as opposed to carbon dioxide, because there are important differences in how the two greenhouse gases affect the climate. This building block provides an overview of methane, and addresses some common areas of confusion.

New Foodsource building block: What is ultra-processed food? And why do people disagree about its utility as a concept? The consumption of ultra-processed foods has been associated with various medical conditions and has been argued to undermine social and environmental sustainability. The term is gaining traction and is central to several dietary guidelines. Critics, however, say the concept is ill-defined, adds little detail to existing knowledge on food and dietary health, and is ultimately biased by an implicit prejudice against ‘Big Food’. This building block explores the concept of ultra-processed food. It investigates the arguments that opponents and proponents use, and the scientific evidence they bring forward, to support their viewpoints.

Investor briefing on sustainability risks and opportunities for food retailers, caterers and restaurant chains. Plating Up Progress (a Food Foundation and Food Climate Research Network project) has released a new investor briefing, Plating Up Progress Part 1, which looks at the sustainability risks and opportunities that exist for food retailers, caterers and restaurants.

In Fodder this week: Two papers examine replacements for animal products, with one focusing on developments in the field of cellular agriculture and the other examining both plant-based and cellular products using a “food tech justice” approach - the carbon footprint of food packaging tends to be lower per serving when each package contains multiple servings - and could Brexit enable more small-scale farming and food production on allotments?

Featured FCRN publication: How Low Can We Go? An assessment of greenhouse gas emissions from the UK food system and the scope for reduction by 2050 This 2010 report, published jointly by the FCRN and WWF-UK, quantifies the UK’s food carbon footprint - taking into account emissions from land use change - and explores a range of scenarios for achieving a 70% cut in food related greenhouse gas emissions.