Unpacking the Carbon & Water Footprint of India's favorite non-vegetarain dishes

A variety of popular Indian non-vegetarian dishes such as Butter Chicken, Mutton Biryani, and a fish curry, artfully arranged on a premium, dark wooden table with soft lighting, suggesting a minimalist and engaging design

India's diet is a vibrant tapestry, bursting with diverse flavors, aromas, and textures. Non-vegetarian dishes, from the creamy richness of North Indian curries to the fiery tang of Goan specialties, hold a special place in the hearts and on the plates of many

Environmental impact of Your Favorite Indian Non-Vegetarian Dishes

In a world increasingly conscious of its environmental impact, the food we eat stands at the forefront of the conversation. According to Our world in data1, food production accounts for one quarter of the world's emission. Therefore, understanding the impact of your food choices helps you make informed decisions to reduce your carbon and water footprint.

This blog post focuses on the carbon and water footprint of meat in India utilizing iconic non-vegetarian dishes which are not only full of falvour but also use a variety of ingredients. This variety, helps shed light on the carbon and water footprint of several ingredients by using just a few dishes

Understanding the Metrics: Carbon and Water Footprint Explained

When we discuss the Carbon and Water footprint of food, we use specific, standardized units to quantify their footprint:

  • Carbon Footprint: This metric is measured in kilograms of Carbon Dioxide Equivalents (Kg CO2e). It represents the total greenhouse gas emissions (including carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide) released throughout the entire journey of a food item: from growing the raw ingredients for humans or livestock, to packaging and transporting these items to the stores for our consumption. These gases are weighted by their Global Warming Potential to give a single comparable unit.
  • Water Footprint: This is measured in kilo litres (KL), with 1 kilo litre equating to 1,000 litres. This figure quantifies the amount of freshwater used, both direct and indirect, throughout the life of a food item: from irrigating crops or use in aquaculture, to packaging and transporting these items to the stores for our consumption. Our focus here is primarily on "blue water" – surface and groundwater resources.

How these metrics are calculated

  • A Carbon emission factor indicates the carbon footprint per kg of a food item
  • A Water footprint factor indicates the water footprint per kg of a food item

These factors act as multipliers. When applied to the quantity of food consumed, they help estimate the total footprint.

Enviromental impact of different types of meat

Let's dive into the estimated carbon and water footprints of some of the most favourite non-vegetarian Indian dishes, based on a typical serving size for one person.

Butter chickenPersonalize
Ingredients
Carbon
(Kg CO2e)
Water
(KL)
0.15Kgofpoultry
1.481
@9.87/Kg
0.099
@0.66/Kg
0.02Kgofbutter
0.302
@15.1/Kg
0.075
@3.77/Kg
0.05Kgoftomato
0.105
@2.09/Kg
0.019
@0.37/Kg
0.05Kgofcurd
0.186
@3.71/Kg
0.036
@0.72/Kg
0.01Kgofcashewnut
0.004
@0.43/Kg
0.041
@4.134/Kg
0.05Kgofonion
0.024
@0.48/Kg
0.003
@0.051/Kg
0.01Kgofginger
0.005
@0.48/Kg
0.001
@0.051/Kg
0.03Kgofgarlic
0.014
@0.48/Kg
0.002
@0.051/Kg
Total
2.121
0.276
Goan Pork VindalooPersonalize
Ingredients
Carbon
(Kg CO2e)
Water
(KL)
0.15Kgofpork
1.847
@12.31/Kg
0.267
@1.78/Kg
0.01Kgofginger
0.005
@0.48/Kg
0.001
@0.051/Kg
0.01Kgofgarlic
0.005
@0.48/Kg
0.001
@0.051/Kg
Total
1.857
0.269
Prawns BalchaoPersonalize
Ingredients
Carbon
(Kg CO2e)
Water
(KL)
0.15Kgofprawns
4.031
@26.87/Kg
0.527
@3.51/Kg
0.02Kgoftomato
0.042
@2.09/Kg
0.007
@0.37/Kg
0.03Kgofonion
0.014
@0.48/Kg
0.002
@0.051/Kg
Total
4.087
0.536
Malabar Fish curryPersonalize
Ingredients
Carbon
(Kg CO2e)
Water
(KL)
0.15Kgoffish
2.045
@13.63/Kg
0.554
@3.69/Kg
0.05Lofcoconutmilk
0.036
@0.72/L
0.015
@0.3/L
0.02Kgoftomato
0.042
@2.09/Kg
0.007
@0.37/Kg
0.05Kgofonion
0.024
@0.48/Kg
0.003
@0.051/Kg
0.01Kgofginger
0.005
@0.48/Kg
0.001
@0.051/Kg
0.01Kgofgarlic
0.005
@0.48/Kg
0.001
@0.051/Kg
Total
2.157
0.581
Beef curryPersonalize
Ingredients
Carbon
(Kg CO2e)
Water
(KL)
0.15Kgofbeef
9.96
@66.4/Kg
0.312
@2.08/Kg
0.05Lofcoconutmilk
0.036
@0.72/L
0.015
@0.3/L
0.05Kgoftomato
0.105
@2.09/Kg
0.019
@0.37/Kg
0.05Kgofonion
0.024
@0.48/Kg
0.003
@0.051/Kg
0.01Kgofginger
0.005
@0.48/Kg
0.001
@0.051/Kg
0.01Kgofgarlic
0.005
@0.48/Kg
0.001
@0.051/Kg
Total
10.135
0.351
Mutton Rogan JoshPersonalize
Ingredients
Carbon
(Kg CO2e)
Water
(KL)
0.15Kgofmutton
5.958
@39.72/Kg
0.27
@1.8/Kg
0.05Kgofcurd
0.186
@3.71/Kg
0.036
@0.72/Kg
0.01Kgofghee
0.151
@15.1/Kg
0.038
@3.77/Kg
0.02Kgoftomato
0.042
@2.09/Kg
0.007
@0.37/Kg
0.05Kgofonion
0.024
@0.48/Kg
0.003
@0.051/Kg
0.01Kgofginger
0.005
@0.48/Kg
0.001
@0.051/Kg
0.01Kgofgarlic
0.005
@0.48/Kg
0.001
@0.051/Kg
Total
6.371
0.356
Mutton BiryaniPersonalize
Ingredients
Carbon
(Kg CO2e)
Water
(KL)
0.15Kgofmutton
5.958
@39.72/Kg
0.27
@1.8/Kg
0.15Kgofrice
0.668
@4.45/Kg
0.337
@2.25/Kg
0.05Kgofcurd
0.186
@3.71/Kg
0.036
@0.72/Kg
0.02Kgoftomato
0.042
@2.09/Kg
0.007
@0.37/Kg
0.05Kgofonion
0.024
@0.48/Kg
0.003
@0.051/Kg
0.01Kgofginger
0.005
@0.48/Kg
0.001
@0.051/Kg
0.01Kgofgarlic
0.005
@0.48/Kg
0.001
@0.051/Kg
Total
6.888
0.655
Explore other articles in this series

This is the first blog in a series that aims to explore the carbon and water footprint of India's favourite dishes. Continue your journey by exploring the carbon and water footprint of India's favourite vegetarian dishes!

The carbon and water footprint of meat is inherently higher than plant based foods. To see this comparison in action, you can skip to the last part of this series to compare the carbon and water footprint of vegetarian vs non-vegetarian dishes!

You can even check out all the other activities related to food and travel that have been added by the community or you can sign-up now to personalize and track the environmental footprint of your activities

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Endnotes

You might notice that while spices are absolutely integral to the unique flavors of Indian cuisine, their individual environmental footprints have been excluded from these calculations. The primary reason for this is practical: while indispensable for taste, the volume of spices used per serving is generally very small compared to the main protein or staple ingredients. Our primary focus here is on the major drivers of the environmental impact

References

  1. Hannah Ritchie (2019) - “Food production is responsible for one-quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions” Published online at OurWorldinData.org. Retrieved from: https://ourworldindata.org/food-ghg-emissions [Online Resource]
  2. Source for the ingredients: Poore, J., & Nemecek, T. (2018). Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science. – processed by Our World in Data