Life cycle assessment of cheese manufacturing in the United States.

A farm-gate-to-customer-gate life cycle assessment was conducted to evaluate the environmental and ecological impacts associated with US cheddar and mozzarella cheese manufacturing. Data collected from 16 cheese processing plants (ten cheddar plants and six mozzarella plants) were used to construct a life cycle inventory model, from raw milk delivery to the plant’s refrigerated storage silo through delivery of packaged cheese and whey to the first customer. Our baseline allocation approach for energy and other resource use was the facilitysupplied fractional estimation of co-products. Where specific information was not provided, revenue-based allocation was used for remaining inputs and emissions. The major environmental impact contributors to climate change were electricity usage (28.3% of total) followed by cheese transport and natural gas use representing 22.5% and 17.3%, respectively. Accumulated reductions in electricity consumption across the life cycle will have significant sustainability benefits. Additional metrics and normalization of the results are discussed in the document.