This popular food is a major cause of carbon emissions: study

Cheese lovers won’t want to brie-lieve it.

Dairy cheese was found to be a top contributor of carbon emissions by a new study, revealing that quitting the real deal for plant-based could cut the cheese market’s climate impact in half.

Just one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of the most popular types of cheese at supermarkets — such as cheddar, mozzarella, feta and parmesan — produces the equivalent of between 6.5 and 12.8 kilograms of carbon dioxide, according to the study by sustainability consultancy Quantis. That’s the same as driving nearly seven miles in a car, South West News Service reported on Wednesday.

By comparison, the study authors found that a kilogram of vegan cheese — specifically one by the brand Violife — would yield 3.7 kilograms less.

The World Economic Forum has shown that dairy cheese trails just behind beef and lamb as the most prolific greenhouse gas generators among foods, ahead of chicken, pork and egg production.

“The environmental impact of dairy often slips under the radar,” warned Sally Smith, director of sustainability at vegan food producer Upfield, which owns the Violife brand. She further suggested to SWNS that if a family of four switched from dairy cheese to a vegan alternative for a year, they could potentially “save the equivalent CO2 emissions as they would traveling 775 miles on an intercontinental flight.”

The findings coincide with a new poll that found more than half — 51% — reported having tried vegan cheese in the past, while only 15% said they don’t eat cheese at all.

“Those wanting to reduce their carbon footprint now have a wider range of delicious, natural plant-based alternatives than ever dairy and meat,” she added.

Fewer than a quarter of US adults — 23% — admitted they don’t understand how the food they eat and carbon emissions are linked, according to OnePoll. Meanwhile, only 35% of the 2,000 survey participants were even aware that dairy cheese had such a high carbon footprint.

Smith suggested there’s an “appetite” for more information — as the poll also found that 79% of adults confessed to feeling guilty about eating such carbon-intensive foods, and 75% agreed that greenhouse gas production in the food industry worries them.

“There’s a clear desire for change in the US as shown in the survey results,” Smith said. “That gives us hope we can drive the change.”