United States-Global fear mongering hits beef trade.

UNITED STATES-THE DAMAGE TO THE BEEF INDUSTRY BY FEAR MONGERING.

Palo Alto, Calif.-based Bon Appetit Management Co. said it has reduced its beef purchases by 25 percent as part of its effort to reduce the carbon footprint of the foods it sells.

Bon Appetit, which generated 80 million meals a year by serving 400 cafés at colleges, universities and corporations in 29 states, said in a news release it exceeded its carbon footprint goals for the year by reducing beef purchases by 25 percent, cheese by 10 percent, tropical fruit by 50 percent and total food waste by 20 percent.

"Chefs are able to offer the usual cheeseburgers to diners who want them, and still reduce the amount of beef they purchase," the company stated. "This reduction is a key component of the program because regardless of how far it travels, or how the animals are raised, beef and cheese come from methane-emitting ruminant animals and methane is a greenhouse gas 23 times more powerful than CO2."

On Earth Day, April 22nd, the company will publicly celebrate its second annual Low Carbon Diet Day. For the day, cheeseburgers are off the menu in favor of what it says are lower carbon options like turkey burgers with spicy guacamole. Cheese pizzas are replaced by offerings like pork with hoisin sauce and pickled cucumbers.

The company has also created an online food calculator and a Facebook quiz, both of which it says lets eaters evaluate the carbon impact of everyday meal choices.

There are no universally agreed standards for calculating carbon footprints, a practice that is becoming more widespread and somewhat controversial.

Bon Appétit has developed programs addressing local purchasing, the overuse of antibiotics, sustainable seafood, cage-free eggs, and most recently, the connection between food and climate change. The company has received awards from organizations like The Humane Society of the United States and Food Alliance.