Evaluation of environmental impact of two ready-to-eat canned meat products using Life Cycle Assessment

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to assess the environmental impact of two ready-to-eat canned meat products through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The analysis of both products, pork lean and meatballs with peas, was performed under a cradle-to-grave approach and 5 stages of their life cycle were included: meat production, food processing, distribution, use and final disposal.The stages with the greatest environmental impact were meat production and food processing for both products. Both stages have a similar degree of contribution throughout the product life cycle. Within the food processing stage, canning and sterilization were the processes with higher impact. Three scenarios employing different canning material were evaluated. The results have shown that the replacement of tin by recycled aluminum can significantly reduce the impact of the products, reaching 94% in some impact categories. Although the type of canning material is a key aspect of the environmental impact, the efficiency of the containers (relationship between the amount of material and the amount of canned food) also shows an important influence on the impact of this process.The impacts of sterilization are mainly due to the consumption of steam and electricity and it is a phase with great possibilities for technological improvement, among which the reuse of the water used in the process could be considered.