We at My Emissions employ a comprehensive methodology to measure carbon emissions for individual products and meals, fully aligned with the GHG Protocol Product Standard. Our approach has been independently audited by W2R Solutions.
System boundary: what’s included in the calculation?
Our calculations cover the full journey of food from farm to the university’s point of sale - accounting for all Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions before the dish reaches students.
Farming 🌾 - emissions from land preparation, growing, harvesting, fertiliser use, and animal feed. Land-use change (e.g. deforestation) is also considered for relevant ingredients.
Processing 🏭 - covers emissions from manufacturing and food processing, such as milling grains, producing plant-based alternatives, or processing meat and dairy. Cold storage and energy use at these stages are also included.
Packaging 📦 - considers emissions from packaging materials used for ingredients and bulk food products that are delivered to university catering, and also any point-of-sale packaging, for example on grab&go items.
Transport 🚛 - accounts for emissions from moving ingredients from farms to processors, and then to universities, based on typical supply chain distances.
❌ What’s NOT Included? – Our calculations stop at the point of sale, meaning emissions from cooking, food waste, or disposal at the university are not covered in this assessment.
Data sources
We use a combination of primary and secondary data to ensure accurate carbon footprint calculations for university dishes.
Primary data comes directly from universities and suppliers, including recipes, ingredients and packaging. Secondary data is sourced from the My Emissions Database, which contains verified emissions factors for over 3,000 food ingredients, packaging types, and transport methods.
This database is built using leading environmental datasets such as Ecoinvent and Agribalyse, as well as scientific research and expert validation from Dr Angelina Frankowska, a specialist in sustainable food systems.