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New York City has launched its first food and climate dashboard! The New York City Mayor’s Office of Food Policy released its first dashboard that has information about the carbon footprint of the city’s food purchases. According to a study, global food systems are responsible for 25 to 42 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions.

This dashboard completes the city’s commitment to transparency included in Executive Order 8: Commitment to Health and Nutrition: Food Standards and Good Food Purchasing. The city teamed up with American Express to map consumption-based emissions. The dashboard uses food purchase data from the 2019 Fiscal Year and will be uploaded annually.

Dairy and ruminant meats came in the top spots for the emissions by food type data. Food-related emissions from dairy were 143,972 tons CO2e, while ruminant meats were 110,405 tons CO2e. In third place for most emissions was poultry with 25,716 tons CO2e, and next was grains with just 16,688 tons CO2e. It’s easy to see with the colorful graph just how much worse for the environment a meat-based diet is.

Source: Vox/Youtube

“I have long said we have to proactively combat our ongoing health and climate crisis, starting with the foods we purchase and consume,” said Mayor Adams. “By launching the first-ever Food and Climate Dashboard we are creating a more transparent city that informs New Yorkers of the impact of the food system’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions.”

In February of this year, Mayor Adams signed Executive Order 8, which confirmed the city’s commitment to the Good Food Purchasing principles. In 2021, New York City became the first city in the United States to sign the Cool Food Pledge, which means they will attempt to reduce the climate impact of food served by 25 percent by 2030. Sharing information like this helps consumers, advocates, and the public understand the impact of food choices and encourages seeking more climate-friendly food options.

“Each and every one of us has a role to play in protecting the future of our planet. Once again, New York City is leading the way in tackling the ways our food system contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change,” said Deputy Mayor of Strategic Initiatives Sheena Wright. “Through the new food and climate dashboard, the city is fulfilling our pledge from the Good Food Purchasing principles to be a more thoughtful, transparent leader.”

Source: Earthling Ed/Youtube

The public needs to be able to see what products drive up the most emissions to make a conscious effort to reduce the intake of these foods and help combat global warming.

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Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental wellbeing, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Unfortunately, dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, prostate cancer, and has many side effects.

For those interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend purchasing one of our many plant-based cookbooks or downloading the Food Monster App which has thousands of delicious recipes making it the largest vegan recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some resources to get you started:

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