New Zealand-farmed Mussels have among the lowest carbon footprints of all animal proteins

New Zealand-farmed Mussels have among the lowest carbon footprints of all animal proteins

New Zealand is not only ideal for growing and harvesting seafood, but it has also recently been found to produce some of the most sustainably sourced animal proteins in the world. A new study co-conducted by thinkstep-anz, Aquaculture NZ, and Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has discovered that New Zealand-farmed shellfish have some of the lowest carbon foot-prints of all animal proteins. In fact, the carbon footprint from producing NZ shellfish can be compared to plant-based protein, tofu.

This study has been based on a method called the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which Jeff Vickers (technical director at thinkstep-anz) describes as a full cycle of farmed shellfish from ocean to consumption, and beyond. It covers everything from;

  1. Juvenile shellfish
  2. Grow-out phase on the farm (on-farm materials used such as floats & wood)
  3. Harvesting (diesel used on boats)
  4. Processing (electricity used)
  5. Packaging
  6. Shipping (fuel for transport)
  7. Disposing of used shells and packaging

To read the full studies, please view or download the files below.