Abstract
Economic development after the World War II has brought about a number of drastic changes in Japanese people's lifestyles. The change in dietary habit, in particular, took place in the trend of industrialization, diffusion of home electric appliances, increasing number of women working outside, development of food service industries, motorization and increasing transport distance of products, and market globalization. It therefore has far reaching implications for the environment in terms of energy and resources directly and indirectly used for the production, distribution, and consumption of foodstuffs. Based on these considerations, this paper presents a quantitative evaluation of the CO2 emissions related to the food cycle, focusing on rice and wheat.that are the staple food for Japanese people. It demonstrates the sharp rise of the indirect CO2 emissions associated with distribution and transport stages.
