Accounting of energy consumption and GHG emission in food chain: An Italian dairy chain example

The environmental sustainability of the food chain is becoming a real value-added to the production; the consumer is aware of these issues by increased attention to environmental issues and their impact on ethical issues. If in the '90s it has only ever gone in search of energy and water savings with the aim of reducing production costs, since the turn of the century the problems relating to management of greenhouse gases (GHG) have assumed a value gradually increasing. On this basis, the research has highlighted the problems that may arise in accounting energy consumption along an Italian dairy chain: from the philosophy of LCA (Life Cycle assessment) methods have identified the main steps related to the transformation of the production: breeding, dairy and Department Store (DS). Analysis conducted showed that different issues are often not easily reconcilable: the data from energy considerations have necessitated a careful and specific normalization process when dealing with specific data respect to different parameters (kWh/t milk, kWh/t milk processed kWh/m 2 store). The accounting, referring to production cases (two farms, two dairies and two Department stores) located in Lombardy (Italy), has led to calculate the values of electric and thermal energy and carbon dioxide emissions. Referring to data of the production of carbon dioxide has been given a total of 2.8 kgCO 2/kg cheese (39% breeding, 40% dairy, 1% DS). The issue is still very open and must be studied in order to provide consumers with more precise and correct information (Carbon label) that may also be the final element of choice.