Carbon Footprint of a Typical Neapolitan Pizzeria

Aniello Falciano,Paolo Masi,Mauro Moresi,Alessio Cimini

doi:10.3390/su14053125

Aniello Falciano, Paolo Masi + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su14053125

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Abstract

Neapolitan pizza is very popular worldwide and is registered on the traditional specialties guaranteed (TSG) list. This study was aimed at identifying the cradle-to-grave carbon footprint (CF) of a medium-sized pizza restaurant serving in situ or takeaway true Neapolitan pizzas conforming to the Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2050 standard method. An average CF of ~4.69 kg CO2e/diner was estimated, about 74% of which was due to the production of the ingredients used (with buffalo mozzarella cheese alone representing as much as 52% of CF). The contribution of beverages, packaging materials, transportation, and energy sources varied within 6.8 and 4.6% of CF. The percentage relative variation of CF with respect to its basic score was of about +26%, +4.4%, and +1.6% or +2.1%, provided that the emission factor of buffalo mozzarella, fresh cow mozzarella (fiordilatte), Grana Padano cheeses, and electricity varied by +50% with respect to each corresponding default value, respectively. The specific carbon footprint for Marinara pizza was equal to ~4 kg CO2e/kg, while for Margherita pizza, it was up to 5.1, or 10.8 kg CO2e/kg when topped with fresh cow or buffalo mozzarella cheese. To help pizza restaurant operators select the most rewarding mitigation strategy, we explored how CF was affected by more sustainable buffalo mozzarella cheese production, lighter and reusable containers for beer, mineral water, and main fresh vegetables, newer diesel-powered vans, less air-polluting electric ovens instead of traditional wood-fired ovens, as well as renewable electricity sources.

Highlights

The carbon footprinting study presented here showed that the cradle-to-grave carbon footprint (CF) of a typical Neapolitan pizza restaurant was of the order of 4.69 kg
It was estimated that the CF of the Marinara pizza, as prepared in agreement with the True Neapolitan Pizza disciplinary, would be of the order of 4 kg CO2e /kg, while that of the Margherita pizza would be around 5.1 kg CO2e /kg or 10.8 kg CO2e /kg if topped with fresh cow or buffalo mozzarella cheese, respectively
Despite the data used to carry out this study were characterized by a high level of technological, geographical, and time-representativeness, their main limitation stemmed from the lack of information about the production of all the ingredients used to prepare the Neapolitan pizza, some of them being bought from suppliers without having control or influence on the agricultural raw materials production and sourcing

Summary

Introduction

The annual sales of the global pizza market are currently around USD 145 billion, including USD 54.4 billion in Western Europe, USD 50.7 billion in North America, USD 16.8 billion in Latin and South America, and USD 11.2 billion in Asia Pacific and Oceania [1]. In the US, the pizza market gave rise to USD 47 billion in revenue in 2019, with the typical price for a large plain pizza ranging from USD 7.25 for a medium pie in Alaska to USD 14 in North. At an average price of USD 11.23 per pizza, about 4.1 billion pizzas were sold in 2019 [1]. The regular and thin-crust pizza types are the most popular, being preferred by 33% and 29% of US consumers, while the most frequently selected pizza toppings are, in descending order, pepperoni, sausage, cheese, pineapple, and anchovies

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