It is known that food production in general generates emissions of **greenhouse gases (GHG)**, which drive climate change. However, there are **”carbon-negative” foods** that precisely help **reverse this effect**.
These are products that remove more GHGs from the air than they emit. In other words, they leave the climate better than they found it. What are they.
## Carbon-negative foods: the effect they generate
GHG emissions come from hundreds of different sources, such as industries burning fuel: fertilizer manufacturing and bacteria **from livestock**.
In total, food production contributes a **quarter of the emissions** caused by humans.
However, there are some foods that remove more gases from the air than they emit, so they are known as “carbon-negative” foods.
Producing and consuming more of these foods could help **reduce the carbon impact** of human food consumption and, in some cases, **restore ecosystems** in the process.
When plants grow, they absorb **carbon dioxide (CO2)** from the air, but when humans (or animals) metabolize them, this CO2 usually returns directly to the atmosphere.
However, due to ongoing emissions, it is necessary to permanently remove carbon from the atmosphere, storing it in the depths of the sea, in rocks, in soil, or in trees.
And there are some food products and production practices that achieve this. It is even possible to make an entire **diet carbon-negative**.
## Carbon-negative diet: foods to include
Some products are distinguished by generating this effect in their production. Among them:
### 1. Kelp (brown algae)
They are **macroalgae that absorb CO2**. Some parts of these algae detach and sink to the ocean floor, where some of that carbon is stored.
These amounts, as reported by the **BBC**, are relatively small per kilogram of algae, so for algae-based foods to be carbon-negative, the supply chain must be very carbon-efficient, with **minimal transportation, packaging, and processing**.
Therefore, locally sourced kelp can fit into this category.
### 2. Bacterial products
**Methanotrophic** bacteria are a group of bacteria found in various environments that consume methane to obtain energy.
This is very useful because **methane is a potent greenhouse gas**, and each kilogram causes **30 times more warming than CO2** over a 100-year period.
By ingesting these bacteria, we metabolize them, and release CO2. Therefore, consuming products containing these bacteria would convert a potent greenhouse gas (methane) into a much less potent one (CO2).
**It is very likely that products derived from these bacteria, such as protein powders or meat substitutes, are carbon-negative**, although they are not yet available.
### 3. Vegetables: blueberries and celery
In wetlands, organic carbon can accumulate faster than it decomposes. Some products can be grown there, such as **different types of blueberries and celery**.
Therefore, foods grown in this way have the potential to be carbon-negative.
This is not usually the case with fresh blueberries, which are often **packaged in plastic and transported by plane**. Although there are peat products with **negative carbon emissions**, they are currently very rare and difficult to find in stores.
### 4. Nuts, olives, and citrus fruits
Planting trees on **farmland** stores carbon. Taking into account the entire supply chain, the typical nut product purchased today locally eliminates around 1.3 kg of CO2 per kg.
These absorptions last until the trees reach maturity, usually around 20 years.
If the trees are used to **manufacture durable wood products** at the end of their useful life, this carbon can remain stored for much longer.
### 5. Food grown regeneratively
Many regenerative practices, such as **no-till farming or planting hedgerows**, can **increase the amount of carbon stored** in the soil or vegetation.
Some companies with carbon-efficient supply chains already claim to have made their products carbon-negative. The London brewery **Gipsy Hill**, for example, says it produces carbon-negative beer, and it used a robust life cycle assessment to support this.
However, it should be noted that in the case of high-emission foods, such as **beef**, research has shown that it is **unlikely that regenerative practices will achieve complete carbon negativity**.
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