OAKLAND, Calif.—Belcampo Farms, a community of small farmers and pioneer of sustainable, organic, grass-fed and -finished, and Certified Humane meats, broths, and jerky, has released its greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory for 2020. The inventory demonstrates that its burgers have a net negative impact on carbon emissions. The new data shows that 28 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) were sequestered for each 8 oz. Belcampo Burger, the restaurant’s most popular menu item. This is equal to removing the emissions of a typical passenger car driving approximately 32 miles.*
“Meat that is actually good for the environment sounds like a radical idea, but it’s actually a more traditional way to farm and the science proves it captures carbon from the air and stores it in the soil,” said Anya Fernald, co-founder of Belcampo Farms. “We hear a lot about how bad meat is for the environment, but the reality is that the way in which meat is farmed by our community of farmers is drastically different in terms of environmental impact. For every half-pound of meat we sold in 2020, we removed 28 pounds of CO2e from the atmosphere.”
Regenerative farming harnesses the relationships between plants and soil microbes to pull more carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and store it in plants, their root systems, and the soil. With regards to livestock production, regenerative refers to an array of management practices — such as no-till grassland and grazing management — which improve soil and land health including sequestering carbon in agricultural soils and ensuring that it remains there.
“Belcampo has always strived to operate in an environmentally responsible manner,” said Fernald. “We look forward to leveraging the data in this, our first of many, GHG inventories, to identify additional ways Belcampo can become more climate positive including projects underway to increase the amount of carbon sequestration at our ranch, shift to using more renewable energy at our facilities, and help our community of farmers apply these practices in their farms, multiplying our efforts.”
The GHG inventory calculated the emissions from Belcampo Farms’ complete supply chain from field to delivery and estimated the amount of CO2e emitted from the production and delivery of each Belcampo burger. The data show that every 4-ounce serving of Belcampo meat across the entire enterprise sequesters in the soil a net of 14 pounds of CO2e. The carbon reductions for Belcampo’s Climate-Positive Burgers available through its restaurants include:
- Belcampo Burger (8 oz.) – removes 28 lb. of carbon
- Double Fast Burger (6 oz.) – removes 21 lb. of carbon
- Single Fast Burger* (3 oz.) – removes 10.5 lb. of carbon
*Available at select locations
Belcampo’s community of farmers are on a mission to revolutionize the meat industry for the well-being of people, the planet, and animals by building a supply chain that produces meat with Certified Humane, organic, regenerative, and climate-positive farming practices resulting in healthier meat products. Belcampo’s animals are raised on its own USDA Certified Organic farms in California on approximately 27,000 acres using Certified Humane and regenerative farming techniques, and also by Belcampo Farms’ entire community of small farmers.
The GHG inventory was compiled by Ali Ahmed, founder and principal of Green Strategies LLC, and Dr. Mark E. Ritchie, Ph.D., scientist at Syracuse University specializing in ecology of grasslands, grazing animals, and soils and principal of Soils for the Future, LLC, a global consultancy focused on removals of greenhouse gases to soil through grazing and fire management. Ahmed has more than 20 years of experience as a recognized sustainability and energy management leader and has developed and managed more than 50 global energy and sustainability programs within his areas of expertise, including carbon management, GHG inventories, sustainability reporting, energy management, building and industrial automation, energy procurement, renewable energy and sustainable transportation solutions. Dr. Ritchie is an expert in data analysis and modeling, especially related to grazing systems, livestock, and wildlife management and the connection between land management and soil carbon. His Soils for the Future project partners include The Nature Conservancy, Biodiversity Research Institute, Wildlife Conservation Society, Conservation International and BioCarbon Partners.
To learn more about Belcampo Farms’ carbon sequestration and climate-positive meats, please visit https://belcampo.com/pages/climate-positive-burger. Climate-Positive Burgers can be ordered at all Belcampo restaurants, which are located throughout Northern and Southern California with exact locations and details listed here: https://belcampo.com/pages/locations. For non-California residents, the same beef used to make Belcampo’s Climate-Positive Burgers is available online at https://belcampo.com/collections/climate-positive with nationwide shipping. For more information about Belcampo and its mission to revolutionize the meat industry, please visit www.belcampo.com.
About Belcampo Farms
Belcampo Farms is a community of climate positive farmers and pioneer of hyper-sustainable, Certified Organic, 100% grass-fed, Certified Humane, pasture-raised meats, broths, and jerky, with a mission to revolutionize the meat industry for the wellbeing of people, the planet, and animals. Belcampo is a climate positive company, with carbon sequestration (removal of CO2 from the atmosphere) from its regenerative farming and grazing practices exceeding the carbon emissions from its operations and supply chain as calculated per The GHG Protocol Corporate Standard. Belcampo beef, poultry, pork, and lamb products are available online, in select retailers, and in its restaurants and butcher shops. For more information, visit www.belcampo.com or connect on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
* https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passenger-veh
