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The best and worst vegetables from a climate point of view
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Peas, tubers and potatoes get the green light from WWF’s new Vego Guide.
It’s worse with bananas, olives, and avocados.
– There are several reasons to be careful, says food expert Anna Richert.
Most people already know that plant-based foods are often better than meat for the climate. But how good are the different green options really?
To find out, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is launching the Vego Guide, a vegetarian variant of its previously acclaimed meat and fish guide.
– There is a very exciting trend that people are eating more and more vegetarian, so we hope that many will be able to use the guide as a tool to choose the best alternatives, says Anna Richert, senior food expert at WWF.
The guide evaluates vegan proteins, vegetables, fruits, berries, nuts, and grains in the form of traffic lights. With green, yellow and orange light, you can easily see what is good to choose frequently and what may be wise to choose only sometimes.
– It is best to choose organic and KRAV labeled when possible. Choose rough
vegetables and legumes, such as peas, root vegetables, cabbage and potatoes, are often the best option for the planet, says Richert.
The evaluation is based on four aspects of sustainability:
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Weather
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The Biodiversity
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Pesticides
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Water
Photo: SAGA SANDIN / WWF / Getty
Anna Richert, Senior Food Expert at the World Wide Fund for Nature.
Peas are the best
Most legumes, vegetables, cereals, cabbage, and root vegetables are given the green light in the guide. They are at the top of the sustainability league because, in general, they use resources very well and production has a low climate impact.
– Swedish green peas, for example, are climate-friendly and cheap, as are yellow peas and beans, says Richert.
On the other hand, it is a little worse with, for example, non-organic coconut, avocado, asparagus, and bananas.
– Bananas have an orange light is about how the crop affects biodiversity, about the use of chemicals and the impact on water resources, says Richert.
Doubt the nuts
Even most varieties of dried fruit get a light orange because crops are often sprayed with pesticides and they strongly affect biodiversity.
In the case of olives, the warning sign is above all the impact on water resources.
– When buying olives, you can choose organic, which in the guide is lit yellow instead of orange. Organic alternatives are always ranked best in the guide.
– Not really, we have known for quite some time that it is advisable to eat more legumes and thick vegetables. But now it feels good that we have researchers behind us and can give science-based advice.
– It is because we do not want to strongly discourage anything in the vegetarian range. Vegetables are almost always lower than animals in terms of climate impact and land use, and the switch from meat to a more vegan diet is important.
But meat also has its role in a sustainable diet, he adds.
– In this context, it’s about more and better vego, that’s why we chose a softer orange shade. We believe that consumers can still understand that this is a ranking of the options and that they can point to a higher scale.
Photo: WWF
The vego guide evaluates vegan proteins, vegetables, fruits, berries, nuts, and grains.
Whole list
Green = eat preferably
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Legumes, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
• Bean fillets and eco falafel
• Eco beans
• Eco chickpeas
• Dry eco lenses
• Eco soy
• Tofu / tempeh eko
• Vegokött sojaprotein eko
• Vego eco beef pea protein
• Field beans Europe and Sweden eco
• Peas frozen peas eco
• Eco yellow peas -
Fruits and berries
Wild blueberries Sweden
• Wild cranberry Sweden
• Eco Europe pears
• Echo of apples -
Cereals and tubers
• Havre eko
• Jerusalem artichoke eco
• Eco corn
• Organic turnip
• Eco corn
• Organic carrot
• Palsternacka eco
• Sweden organic pasta
• Organic potato
• Organic celery root
• Rye eco
• Organic beetroot
• Go eco -
Vegetables and mushrooms
Eco cauliflower
• Organic Swedish broccoli
• Kale eco
• Sweden eco cucumber
• Green beans and sugar peas Sweden and Europe eco
• Iceberg lettuce Sweden eco
• Organic onion
• Ecological pump / pumpkin
Swedish spinach eco
Wild mushrooms Sweden
• Organic white and red cabbage
Yellow = eat sometimes
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Legumes, nuts and seeds
• Peanuts
• Eco almonds
• Sunflower seeds
• Eco of walnuts -
Cereals and tubers
• Quinoa
• Res
• Sweet potatoes -
Fruits and berries
• Orange
• Bananer Rainforest Alliance
• Cultivated blueberries
• Lemon and lime
• Clementines and mandarins
• Eco dates
• Grapefruit
• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Kiwi
• Eco handle
• Cantaloupe
• Peaches and nectarines
• Plums
Pears South America
• Grapes -
Vegetables and mushrooms
• Eggplant
• Eco avocado
• Broccoli Europe
• Cucumber Europe
• Ginger
• Iceberg lettuce Europe
• Artichoke
• Oliver eko
• Peppers
• Asparagus Europe eco
Spinach europe
Mushrooms
Tomatoes Europe
• Garlic
Orange = Be careful
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Legumes, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
• Cashews
• Hazelnuts
• Coco
• Almonds
• Pistagenötter
• Sesame seeds
• Walnuts -
Vegetables and mushrooms
• Avokado
• Green beans and sugar peas South America / Africa
• Oliver
• Asparagus -
Fruits and berries
• Bananas
• Dates
• Mango
• Papaya
Footnote: The scientific basis has been developed by researchers from Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU but the weighted evaluation is carried out by WWF.
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