MEAT BURGER vs LEGUME-BASED BURGER: WHICH IS BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT?

Nowadays, it is crucial to have respect for the environment considering every finished product, especially if referring to a food product. Regarding the LeGeReTe project (LEgume GEnetic REsources as a tool for the development of innovative and sustainable food TEchnological system), the research group coordinated by Professor Riccardo Guidetti, evaluated the environmental profile of one meat burger and one legume-based burger. Using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method, the entire life cycle of the two products was analysed, each phase was analysed from farming, through the production processes till the cooking phase for both the burgers. From the comparison of the two productions, the higher level is shown by the meat burger for all the impact categories. Considering nutritional aspects and changing the functional unit from a mass unit (1 burger, 100g) to a nutritional unit (15g of protein) the environmental impact of the legume-based burger has again the lower impact but with a lower difference.

REFERENCE

Casson, A., Giovenzana, V., Beghi, R., Tugnolo, A., & Guidetti, R. (2019). Environmental Impact Evaluation of Legume-based Burger and Meat Burger. Chemical Engineering Transactions, 75, 229-234. DOI: 10.3303/CET1975039.