Life cycle assessment, or LCA, has become a core concept in food sustainability. Not because it’s trendy, but because it answers questions that intuition can’t.
For food businesses, climate impact isn’t shaped by a single decision. It’s shaped by ingredients, farming methods, processing, transport, storage, cooking, and waste. LCA is the method that brings all of that into focus.
This guide explains what life cycle assessment means in the context of food, why it matters, and how food businesses use it to make better decisions.
What is a life cycle assessment (LCA)?
A life cycle assessment is a method used to measure the environmental impact of a product or process across its entire life cycle.
In food systems, that typically includes:
• Agricultural production
• Processing and packaging
• Transportation and storage
• Preparation and consumption
• Waste and disposal
Rather than looking at one stage in isolation, LCA captures the full picture. That’s what makes it so useful—and so widely used in climate reporting, research, and sustainability decision-making.
Why LCAs matter in the food industry
Food systems behave differently from many other industries.
Emissions are rarely dominated by buildings or vehicles. They are driven by what is produced, how it’s produced, and which ingredients are used. Research summarized by Our World in Data shows that the majority of food-related emissions occur during production, not transport or packaging.
That’s why assumptions like “local is always better” or “food miles matter most” often fall apart under scrutiny. LCA replaces assumptions with measurement.
What LCAs reveal that intuition misses
One of the most valuable aspects of LCA is how clearly it shows differences between ingredients.
For example, producing one kilogram of beef results in many times more greenhouse gas emissions than producing one kilogram of legumes. Those differences are driven by farming practices, feed, land use, and biological processes—factors that are invisible without life cycle data.
This is why LCAs are used to:
• Identify climate hotspots in recipes and product portfolios
• Compare ingredients on equal terms
• Understand trade-offs between nutrition, cost, and climate impact
Without LCA, these decisions are guesses. With it, they’re grounded in data.
What an LCA typically measures in food systems
While the exact scope varies, most food-related LCAs focus on a combination of:
• Greenhouse gas emissions (CO₂e)
• Energy use
• Land use
• Water consumption
Together, these metrics help food businesses understand not just how large an impact is, but where it comes from and how it can be reduced.
How food businesses use LCA in practice
LCA isn’t just a research tool. It’s used every day across the food industry.
Common applications include:
• Comparing ingredients and suppliers
• Designing lower-impact menus and products
• Supporting Scope 3 emissions reporting
• Preparing CSRD-aligned sustainability disclosures
• Communicating verified climate data to customers
In other words, LCA connects sustainability strategy with operational decisions.
LCA, Scope 3 emissions, and reporting
Life cycle assessments are closely linked to Scope 3 emissions reporting.
Scope 3 covers indirect emissions across the value chain, including purchased goods, transport, and waste. LCA provides the underlying data needed to calculate those emissions accurately, especially in food systems where ingredient choice matters more than almost anything else.
If you want to understand how LCA data feeds into reporting frameworks, explore our guide to Scope 3 emissions for food businesses.
LCA and food supply chains
From farming to waste, food supply chains are complex. LCAs help untangle that complexity by showing how each stage contributes to overall impact.
This is particularly valuable for businesses working with multiple suppliers or operating across regions. Rather than relying on averages, LCA makes it possible to see where change will actually make a difference.
You can explore this further in our article on food supply chains and climate impact.
Where to start with LCA
You don’t need to build an LCA model from scratch to benefit from life cycle assessment. Most food businesses start by:
• Using established LCA databases
• Applying LCA-backed carbon footprint tools
• Focusing on high-impact ingredients and products
From there, LCA becomes less about theory and more about everyday decisions.
Why LCA is becoming standard practice
Regulation, buyer expectations, and reporting frameworks are all moving in the same direction: toward transparency backed by data.
Organizations like the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations have highlighted the role of life cycle data in building more sustainable food systems. At the same time, businesses are discovering that LCA supports not just compliance, but efficiency and resilience.
In other words, LCA is much more than a passing trend. It’s becoming part of how food businesses operate.
FAQ: Life Cycle Assessment in the Food Industry
Q: What is a life cycle assessment (LCA)?
A: A life cycle assessment is a method used to measure the environmental impact of a product or process across its entire life cycle, from raw material production to use and disposal.
Q: Why is LCA important for food businesses?
A: LCA helps food businesses understand where emissions actually occur, identify high-impact ingredients, and make decisions based on data rather than assumptions.
Q: What does an LCA measure?
A: In food systems, LCAs commonly measure greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, land use, and water consumption across farming, processing, transport, cooking, and waste.
Q: Is LCA required for Scope 3 emissions reporting?
A: LCA is not a regulation itself, but it underpins Scope 3 emissions reporting by providing the data needed to assess value-chain emissions accurately.
Q: How is LCA used in practice?
A: Food businesses use LCA to compare ingredients, design lower-impact menus, support sustainability reporting, and communicate verified climate data to customers and partners.
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