The annual consumption of chicken meat and potatoes is calculated by multiplying the daily amounts consumed by the number of days in a year.

150 g of chicken meat per day × 365 days per year = 54 750 g per year ≈ 54.8 kg per year

300 g of potatoes per day × 365 days per year = 109 500 g per year = 109.5 kg per year

The calculations show that the annual consumption amounts to 54.8 kg of chicken meat and 109.5 kg of potatoes. These quantities refer to what is actually consumed, which means boneless chicken meat and peeled potatoes.

To meet this “final consumption”, more food needs to be produced, due to waste and losses in the supply chain between producers and consumers. Waste and losses refer to the proportion of the produced food that is not consumed for various reasons. To get an accurate picture of the climate impact, the emissions of what is not eaten must also be included. The following waste factors have been used:

– Chicken waste: 17%
– Potato waste: 53%

These waste factors represent average values for the food industry in Europe and include producer, wholesale and consumer waste. A 17% waste for chicken meat means that 17% of the butchered meat is not consumed (including bones and meat not consumed for other reasons). A reduction of 17% gives the change factor (1 − 0.17). The quantity of butchered chicken meat (with bones) that must be produced is calculated by dividing the amount of boneless chicken meat ultimately consumed by this change factor. The amount of potatoes (with skins) that must be grown is calculated in the same way.

54.8 kg / (1 − 0.17) ≈ 66.0 kg of chicken meat

109.5 kg / (1 − 0.53) ≈ 233 kg of potatoes

The calculations show that for a person to eat a meal of chicken and potatoes every day for a year, 66.0 kg of butchered chicken meat with bones and 233 kg of potatoes must be produced.

Greenhouse gas emissions from food production are calculated by multiplying the total quantities of chicken meat and potatoes produced by the emission factors for their respective foods.

– Chicken meat emission factor: 2.10 kg CO₂e per kg of butchered chicken meat with bones
– Potato emission factor: 0.22 kg CO₂e per kg of harvested potatoes with skins

The emission factors for chicken meat and potatoes include emissions from raising broiler chickens, potato cultivation, animal feed production, input material production, processing, and transportation. 

66.0 kg of butchered chicken meat per year × 2.10 kg CO₂e per kg of butchered chicken meat ≈ 139 kg CO₂e per year

233 kg of potatoes × 0.22 kg CO₂e per kg of potatoes ≈ 51 kg CO₂e per year

The total emissions are calculated as the sum of emissions from chicken meat and potato production.

139 + 51 kg CO₂e per year = 190 kg CO₂e per year

The calculation shows that the emissions amount to 190 kg of CO₂e per year.