Thursday 2 May 2019

‘I’ll have a beef burger with a side of carbon please’

A National Trust pub in Cumbria has added information about the carbon impact of food to its menu.

The Sticklebarn pub restaurant now displays the environmental footprint of each meal next to the item in a bid to provide diners with more choices and given them freedom to eat sustainably.

The menu shows one of the most carbon-heavy dishes is nachos with chilli, chocolate, coffee, sour cream and guacamole - together these ingredients add up to a massive 5.74 kilogrammes of greenhouse gases, equivalent to driving around 14 miles in a typical car.

The lamb burger served with wedges also packs a significant carbon punch, with emissions weighing in at 4.53 kilogrammes for the entire meal.

This is largely because of the methane released by sheep - the burger is sourced from local farms and would likely be even more emissions-intensive if sourced from farther afield, due to transport-related fuel use.

The lowest impact items on the menu are vegetarian and include a black bean burger, which generates only 860 grammes of greenhouse gases per dish.