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The nitrogen footprint of food products in the European Union

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 October 2013

A. LEIP ,
F. WEISS ,
J. P. LESSCHEN  and
H. WESTHOEK
A. LEIP*
Affiliation:
European Commission – Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027, Ispra, Italy
F. WEISS
Affiliation:
European Commission – Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027, Ispra, Italy
J. P. LESSCHEN
Affiliation:
Alterra, Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 47, 6700AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
H. WESTHOEK
Affiliation:
PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, P.O. Box 303, 3720 AH, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
*
*To whom all correspondence should be addressed. Email: [email protected]
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Summary

Nitrogen (N) is an essential element for plants and animals. Due to large inputs of mineral fertilizer, crop yields and livestock production in Europe have increased markedly over the last century, but as a consequence losses of reactive N to air, soil and water have intensified as well. Two different models (CAPRI and MITERRA) were used to quantify the N flows in agriculture in the European Union (EU27), at country-level and for EU27 agriculture as a whole, differentiated into 12 main food categories. The results showed that the N footprint, defined as the total N losses to the environment per unit of product, varies widely between different food categories, with substantially higher values for livestock products and the highest values for beef (c. 500 g N/kg beef), as compared to vegetable products. The lowest N footprint of c. 2 g N/kg product was calculated for sugar beet, fruits and vegetables, and potatoes. The losses of reactive N were dominated by N leaching and run-off, and ammonia volatilization, with 0·83 and 0·88 due to consumption of livestock products. The N investment factors, defined as the quantity of new reactive N required to produce one unit of N in the product varied between 1·2 kg N/kg N in product for pulses to 15–20 kg N for beef.

Type
Nitrogen Workshop Special Issue Papers
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 152 , Supplement S1: Special Issue from the 17th International Nitrogen Workshop , December 2014 , pp. 20 - 33
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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