The carbon footprint of chicken compared to other meats and foods

Here you can see the carbon footprint across various meat types and foods. Please note that all the figures below are from The Big Climate Database and are therefore comparable - however, they cannot be compared with figures from the Carbon Trust on Danish Family Farms, as the calculations are different.

Chicken meat*

Chicken thighs: 1.88 kg CO2e/ per kg

Whole chicken: 3.27 kg CO2e/ per kg

Chicken breast: 5.20 kg CO2e/ per kg

Minced chicken: 5.71 kg CO2e/ per kg

Beef*

Minced beef 10-15% fat: 48.04 kg CO2e/per kg

Beef kebab: 53.92 kg CO2e/per kg

Beef culotte: 67.82 kg CO2e/per kg

Beef tenderloin: 227.85 kg CO2e/per kg

Pork meat*

Pulled pork: 4.52 kg CO2e/per kg

Ham: 4.64 kg CO2e/per kg

Pepperoni: 5.70 kg/CO2e per kg

Bacon, fried: 6.43 kg CO2e/per kg

Fish and seafood*

Salmon: 2.09 kg/CO2e per kg

Plaice: 2.81 kg CO2e/per kg

Tuna: 3.10 kg CO2e/per kg

Shrimp: 8.40 kg CO2e/per kg

Dairy products*

Mini milk: 0.41 kg CO2e/per kg

Whipping cream 38%: 1.73 kg CO2e/per kg

Butter: 3.30 kg CO2e/per kg

Danbo cheese, 45+: 5.41 kg CO2e/per kg

Fruit and vegetables*

Cucumber: 0.43 kg CO2e/per kg

Broccoli: 0.63 kg CO2e/per kg

Banana: 0.85 kg CO2e/per kg

Avocado: 1.22 kg CO2e/per kg

Bread and cereals*

Burger bun: 1.16 kg CO2e/per kg

Pasta: 2.05 kg CO2e/per kg

Cake: 2.32 kg CO2e/per kg

Rice, parboiled: 5.06 kg CO2e/per kg

Plant products*

Vegan sausages, soy-based: 1.43 kg CO2e/per kg

Vegan schnitzels, soy-based: 1.87 kg CO2e/per kg

Vegan nuggets, soy-based: 1.95 kg CO2e/per kg

Falafel mince: 2.06 kg CO2e/per kg

*Source: "CONCITO (2024): The Big Climate Database, version 1.2"