What differentiates food-related environmental footprints of rural Chinese households?

Abstract The efficient mitigation of food-related environmental impacts requires the identification of the determinant food types and factors. This study aims to reveal the variations in the environmental footprints of different household foods in rural China by using nationally representative household survey data from 2019 and an Environmentally-Extended Multi-Regional Input-Output Model. The results show that the per capita carbon, water, and land footprints of domestic food consumption in rural China were 0.556 kg CO2-eq per day, 1.117 m3 per day, and 1.880 m2 per day, respectively. The household food-related carbon, water, and land footprints increased to 0.715 kg CO2-eq per day, 1.434 m3 per day, and 2.429 m2 per day, respectively, when eating out was considered in the analysis. There was significant heterogeneity between the different footprint groups. Protein-rich products such as beef and mutton, and pork contribute the most to the differences between the groups with high and low footprints. A larger household size and high non-farm work rate decreased the environmental footprints, while eating out more often increased the footprints. Nevertheless, income differences could not explain the differences in environmental footprints. Eating out, which accounts for over 20% of the food-related environmental burdens, should not be overlooked when calculating food-related environmental footprints. Beef and mutton, cereal, pork, and oil crops should be given attention in policymaking to reduce food-related environmental burdens and food-related environmental footprint inequality.