The Environmental Integrity Project examined 20 of the biggest emitters in the food and beverage sector in the U.S. and found that they released 17.8 million metric tons of greenhouse gases (as carbon dioxide equivalents, or CO2e) in 2023, as much as 4.1 million cars and trucks running for a year. These top 20 plants were all food processors, including 14 wet corn mills and 6 sugar refineries. The plants we examined also reported emitting 11,683 tons of nitrogen oxides and 9,957 tons of volatile organic compounds that year, both of which contribute to smog. Much of this pollution was unnecessary and often caused by outdated boiler systems.
Accompanying data spreadsheet available here.
