Fast food lamb curries have carbon footprint of 140 million car miles

Supermarket lamb curry ready-made meals eaten in the UK amount to an annual carbon footprint equivalent to 5,500 car trips around the world or 140 million car miles. The figures were calculated using a new carbon footprinting tool known as CCaLC developed by researchers at The University of Manchester. The estimates - calculated to illustrate the tool- are based on the figure of 30% of adults in the UK who eat ready-made meals at least once a week. Curry is one of the nation's favourites, accounting for up to 10% of ready-made sales. The academics in the School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science found that the fast food meal generates the equivalent of 4.3 kg of carbon dioxide emissions per person. The meal's ingredients are responsible for 65% of the carbon footprint, with lamb contributing half of the total. Meal manufacture contributes on average 14% and packaging 4% of the total carbon footprint.