Study by Ja! Natürlich, Greenpeace and FiBL: How we can save 40 percent of food-related emissions

The environmental organisation Greenpeace and the organic brand Ja! Natürlich (Yes! Of course) show in a recent study conducted by the FiBL research institute where we must start in order to make our nutrition climate friendly. In concrete terms, a healthy and meat-reduced organic diet can save up to 5.3 million tonnes of emissions annually in Austria - that is 40 percent of all diet-related greenhouse gases and corresponds to the annual emissions of Tyrol. For the study, the greenhouse gas emissions of products from organic, conventional and regional production were calculated. The product check proves this: Conventional products, even if they come from regional production, have a worse climate balance than organic products. On average, organic products perform 25 percent better than conventional products. If the organic food is also produced regionally, this value improves to 31 percent. 

"The facts are on the table: food-related emissions account for up to 30 percent of total emissions in Austria. Thus, the food system is one of the biggest levers in the fight against the climate crisis. Greenpeace is therefore calling on Agriculture Minister Köstinger to expand organic farming to 40 percent and to reduce meat production and consumption by 50 percent by 2030. This is the only way we can make our food and agriculture climate-friendly and ensure regional security of supply," says Greenpeace agriculture expert Natalie Lehner at the presentation of the study. 

"Organic continues to boom - in the previous year, organic's share of sales in the entire food trade exceeded 10 per cent. It is my vision, together with our partners in agriculture, to increase this organic share to 15 percent in the next five years in the interest of all of us. Because the formula is simple: more organic is always more climate protection," says Ja! Natürlich Head Klaudia Atzmüller sets a clear goal. Austria's organic pioneer feels confirmed by the study results: "With the highest production standards, we at Ja! Natürlich have always made an important contribution to climate protection - this has been impressively confirmed by the current study. But we also take the recommendations as an opportunity to develop further. And to anchor the positive effects of organic on the climate even more strongly in the consciousness of consumers. The message is very clear: everyone can protect the climate by eating more organic food from Austria", Klaudia Atzmüller comments on the results of the study. 

"Climate-friendly nutrition means above all reducing meat consumption and food waste, as well as increased consumption of organic food or an organic diet. Organic farming manages land in a much more climate-friendly and sustainable way, which is central to a sustainable and crisis-resistant food supply. This must be closely linked to a sustainable and healthy dietary style," explains study author Thomas Lindenthal of the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) on the occasion of the presentation of the study results in Vienna. 

In addition to serious problems in our food system, the study also points to possible solutions. "If a family of four reduces its meat consumption to a healthy level, it not only lives healthier - it can also increase the organic share of its diet by 70 percent - and without additional costs," Greenpeace expert Lehner emphasises: "The family could thereby save 38 percent of the greenhouse gases caused." 

Regarding the recommendation of the study to consume less meat for the sake of the climate and to choose organic meat whenever possible, Andreas Steidl, Managing Director and Head of Product, Quality and Raw Materials Management at Ja! Natürlich: "The study impressively shows the importance of species-appropriate feeding and local feedstuffs for the climate impact of meat. The use of local as well as diverse and organically produced feed results in a more positive climate balance for organic meat. So the recommendation has to be that if you're going to treat yourself to meat, it should come from local organic production."