Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Welcome to the AGRIBALYSE® documentation
Version 3.1.1 of the database is now available! For more information, see the data access page.
In this collective awareness period about the environmental challenges of food sectors, the AGRIBALYSE® program provides tools to meet this challenge.
Since 2013, AGRIBALYSE® has been a collective and innovative program which provides references data on the environmental impacts of agricultural and food products through a database built according to the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) methodology.
Work continues in a logic of ongoing improvement and development of new data. Contributions are welcome.
AGRIBALYSE 3.1 release (october 2022) :
connected to GLAD platform: GLAD - Global LCA Data Access network,
available in simplified data formats (spreadsheets with impact indicators for agriculture and food products).
Agribalyse is a knowledge basis and a methodological reference for environmental assessment. This basis feeds operational sectoral tools.
The work of Agribalyse is intended to be used for analytical work, and to be taken up by various awareness-raising and / or decision-making tools.
Operational tools are not developed directly within the Agribalyse program. Indeed, it is up to the players closest to the field to grasp the data, and to provide tools adapted to their context of use and decision (analysis of products or sectors for eco-design, collective catering, environmental communication, etc.) .
Tools using Agribalyse already exist, and others are intended to develop.
The database already provides data to other french databases such as Base Carbone® and Base Impacts®.
The Agribalyse database also mobilizes other partner databases, for so-called "background" data and data relating to a certain number of products imported and consumed in France, in particular ecoinvent and World Food Data Base.
At the european level, Agribalyse data are used as references for french products in the PEF projet. The Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) aims to provide commun rules and guidance for the evaluation of goods and services consumed in Europe. 8 guidances are now operational for the food sector (Beer, Dairy products, Animal feed, Oil olive oil, Bottled water, Pasta, Pet food, Wine).
Agribalyse Data are available within LCA softwares :
SimaPro, leading software in LCA,
openLCA, an open source software,
Brightway, provided by SustainCERT for ADEME. Free LCA software that requires knowledge of the “Python” language. Users need an ecoinvent licence. For details on data use condition, check the website
The Global LCA Data Access Network, developped by the UN Environmental Program.
Agribalyse data may be included within :
calculator tools developped to inform consumers about the environmental footprint of their feding practices (as OpenFoodFact, with already informs about the climate impact of food products),
operational tools for producers (farmers or food companies) to help them to evaluate and improve : for example, MEANS-In Out, ecodesign software for farm products developped by INRAE and Cirad.
The AGRIBALYSE® program brings together a network of experts who support you in understanding and disseminating the work (documentation, training, technical days).
AGRIBALYSE® data are complex. Scientific indicators are not understandable at first sight by non-experts in environmental sciences. Extensive documentation is available, as well as a network of experts by your side to help you use this work.
Before contacting us for any questions relating to the AGRIBALYSE® program and the database, we ask you to read the documentation available on this website, the answer to your question can be found there !
If the answer is not there, you can contact the teams in charge of the AGRIBALYSE® program via the email address: agribalyse@ademe.fr
Depending on your question, we will redirect you to the most suitable experts: experts members of the AGRIBALYSE® steering committee, our partners from agricultural and food technical institutes, consultants specialized in Life Cycle Analysis and trained in the use of the AGRIBALYSE® database...
Audrey Rimbaud, ADEME. Agricultural engineer specializing in environmental engineering and land use planning. Food lover and environmentalist, happy to contribute to the Agribalyse development and more braodly the sustainable food topic in ADEME, as an engineer.
Jérome Mousset, ADEME
Head of the department in charge of food and bioeconomy at ADEME. He works on the evolution of food and agricultural systems, and more generally on the contribution of the bioeconomy to the ecological transition of the country.
Louis-Georges Soler, INRAE. Deputy Scientific Director Food & Bioeconomics at INRAE. He is an economist and has been director of several research units whose work focused on (1) food consumption, (2) strategies of companies and sectors in terms of food quality and safety, (3) evaluation of public policies related to food, health and the environment. He has conducted several multidisciplinary research projects, at national and European level. He worked in particular on the economic, health and environmental impacts of consumption and diet. His involvement in Agribalyse particularly concerns methods and data for the evaluation of the environmental impacts of food products.
Arnaud Helias, INRAE. Doctor in process engineering, researcher in the food sector since 2008. He teaches eco-technologies, more specifically eco-assessment, of which life cycle analysis is the main aspect. He carries out his research activity within the Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology. Since 2014, he has coordinated the ELSA group.
Mélissa Cornelus, INRAE, Scientific project manager of GIS REVALIM at INRAE
Alban Thomas, INRAE. Deputy Scientific Director Environment, INRAE. Environmental and natural resources economist, his research program focuses on the environmental impact of agriculture and the evaluation of environmental policies, the uses and pricing of water resources, and transitions for global food security. He regularly conducts scientific expertise in the field of agriculture and the environment in France and abroad.
Emeric EMONET, ACTA. Study engineer on the agroecological transition of agricultural systems, sectors and territories and the evaluation of their sustainability.
Didier Majou, ACTIA, Director, specialist in food technology and processes
Marie-Pierre Labau, CTCPA, Environment & Sustainable Development Manager
Vincent COLOMB, ADEME
He coordinated the AGRIBALYSE program from 2013 to 2022 as en ADEME ingeneer. He now coordinates the ecolabelling works in ADEME for every sectors concerned (food, textile, furnishing...).
Valérie TO, Ministry of ecological and solidarity-based transition
Project manager at the sustainable food and agriculture office of the General Commission for Sustainable Development, one of the departments of the Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity-based Transition, Valérie is notably involved in the animation of the environmental display experiment in the food sector.
Gérard GAILLARD, Agroscope
Head of the Life Cycle Analysis research group at Agroscope, a research and development organization at the Federal Office of Agriculture in Switzerland.
Lisa Chenerie, Ministry of Ecological Transition.
Deputy head of the sustainable agriculture and food office at the Ministry of Ecological Transition.
Cécile Poulain, Ministry of Agriculture and Food
Circular economy project manager
Erwan Degavelle, Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
Health and food policy officer at the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
Yannick BIARD, CIRAD (ex. INRAE)
Thibault SALOU, Montpellier Supagro (ex. INRAE)
Aurélie Tailleur, ADEME (ex-Aravalis Institut du végétal)
Claudine BASSET-MENS, CIRAD
Angel AVADI , CIRAD
Gildas MEVEL, Agrosolutions
Several consultancies have been involved in Agribalyse program and can support compagnies for using Agribalyse data for ecodesign or environmental information. Here are listed only consultancies able to work on internationnal projects (see french version for more).
Blonk consultants (Dutch) : Specialised on agriculture and food sustainability, very involved in European (PEF) project.
Deloitte: Internationnal consultancy for strategy and sustainability.
EVEA: Consulting firm in environmental and social assessment, EVEA has a team dedicated to improving the performance of agricultural and agri-food products. EVEA supports you in the principal price of the Agribalyse program and the appropriation by your company (methodology, data, tools, ...) for the environmental improvement of your product ranges.
Gingko 21 Agribalyse v3.0 developers. His team of agronoms and food experts cans support you for ecodesign and sustainability strategy.
Koch Consulting Agribalyse v1 developer; review and developpement of Agribalyse v3.0.1
Maobi : can support you in LCA studies and ecodesign work. We use Agribalyse data and other most recent database and methodology. Feel free to contact us.
Sayari : Work your product line with Agribalyse towards a sustainable and profitable path. We support you in the reflection and implementation of the food transition, respectful of your health, the environment and biodiversity.
ADEME and ecoinvent have been advancing together for many years on the subject of LCA data. The same values are being shared among both organizations: transparency, scientific excellence, connection to international recommendations on methods, expertise of the governance, control of the data quality, as well as a willingness to provide guidance to public and private stakeholders to help them on their ecological transition.
Agribalyse database relies on ecoinvent data for non-farming processes (electricity, transportation) as well as for imported productions (for a pineapple, for a Moroccan tomatoe…). Through Agribalyse, ecoinvent users have access to a robust and complete LCI database that captures the production and market specificities of a European country.
A 4-years partnership (2022-2026) has been signed between ADEME and ecoinvent, focusing on Agribalyse, and aiming at:
- Increasing the availability of Agribalyse data
- Mutualizing efforts in developing new tools and new data
- Improving the coherence between the databases
- Enticing the use of LCA data by all stakeholders of the ecological transition
We are sincerely convinced that this collaboration will benefit both Agribalyse projects and ecoinvent, as well as more widely, the community of LCA users.
ecoinvent is a not-for-profit association based in Zurich, Switzerland, dedicated to the availability of high-quality data for sustainability assessments worldwide.
Dedicated to promoting and supporting the use of environmental data worldwide, the ecoinvent Association focuses on LCI data compilation, linking and distribution, as well as data and database management. Its main activity is the publication of the ecoinvent database, which is used worldwide as a background database in LCA and other environmental assessments. Other activities include leading, or participating in, data management projects and initiatives worldwide. ecoinvent also coordinates, or collaborates on, initiatives aiming to promote awareness of, and good practices in, the creation and use of life cycle inventories around the world.
The ecoinvent database currently contains more than 18’000 reliable life cycle inventory datasets and is updated annually to include new and updated data, as well as technical improvements. With an emphasis on transparency, traceability, and disaggregation, ecoinvent data support environmental assessments, such as carbon foot printing, LCA and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) all around the world, and enable a wide range of users to gain a deeper understanding of the environmental impacts of their products and services.
Organism
Name
Role
Field of expertise
EMONET Emeric
Head of Agroecology, Systems and Sustainability
Agricultural production
ROUAULT Anthony
Environment Project Manager
Milk and dairy products
MAJOU Didier
Director
Food industry
NITSCHELM Laure
R&D engineer environmental assessment and life cycle analysis
Field crops
l.nitschelm@arvalis.fr
FARRANT Laura
Environment Project Manager
Processed fruits and vegetables, ready meals
LABAU Marie-Pierre
Environment & Sustainable Development Manager
Processed fruits and vegetables, ready meals
GRISEY Ariane
gineer • Head of Unit • Environment - Energy Unit. Saint-Remy-de-Provence
Fruits and vegetables
ariane.grisey@ctifl.fr
MIREUR Malou
Environmental Studies Officer
Fruits and vegetables
malou.mireur@ctifl.fr
FOSSEY Maxime
Project Manager - Environment-Building Service
Ruminant breeding
maxime.fossey@idele.fr
ESPAGNOL Sandrine
Environmental engineer
Pig breeding
ADOIR Emilie
Environment project manager
Vine and wine
ITAB
SAUTEREAU Natacha
Agro-economist, head of the Sustainability-Transition unit
Organic production
natacha.sautereau@itab.asso.fr
ITAB
DALLAPORTA Bastien
Project Manager for the Sustainability Division-. Transition
Organic production
BLAZY Vincent
Environment project manager
Poultry
DUBOIS Elise
Environment project manager
Poultry
elise.dubois@itavi.asso.fr
BESNIER Antoine
Environment & Eco-Industries project manager
Fat
BOSQUE Fabrice
Environment & Eco-Industries Manager
Fat
DAUGUET Sylvie
Quality, Health and Safety, Environment
Oil crops and legume crops
Co-piloted by ADEME and INRAE, the AGRIBALYSE® program also relied on a hundred partners and experts, in particular within technical institutes and engineering consultants.
Co-piloted by ADEME and INRAE, relying on the collaboration of agricultural and agrifood technical institutes, the AGRIBALYSE® program has existed for over 10 years.
The gradual construction of the database brought together around a hundred French and international experts in the agricultural, agrifood and environmental sectors.
The construction of the database mobilized several types of skills: life cycle analysis (LCA) and environmental sciences, agronomic and zoo-technical knowledge, knowledge of the sectors (stages of transformation, logistics, distribution), management of databases, etc. The methodologies and data were developed in the framework of a partnership ensuring their quality and transparency.
The first version of the database, published in 2014, focused on the impacts related to agricultural production. It was then gradually enriched and now includes all the sectors and stages of the food chain: processing (ACYVIA project), logistics (storage, transport, distribution), and the culinary preparation of dishes (cooking, defrosting). Data from other international initiatives (Ecoinvent, World Food Database, Product Environmental Footprint,) were also used.
For the production of the current version 3.0, the main developments have been shared between INRAE for the agricultural products and consultants experts in Life Cycle Analysis for the food chain values (Gingko 21, Sayari, Blonk consultants).
Work is continuing: methodological improvements and the development of new data are expected in the coming years.
Since September 2021, the governance of Agribalyse has evolved into a SIG (Scientific Interest Group) : the SIG Revalim. The database retains its name (AGRIBALYSE) and remains the property of ADEME. The members of the steering committee are now as follows:
Founders:
French agency for ecological transition (ADEME)
France's National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE)
Invited members:
French ministry of ecological and solidarity-basd transition (MTES)
French ministry of agriculture and food (MAA)
Agroscope representing international similar initiatives
AGRIBALYSE® data is based on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method. To understand the data, you need to know the basic principles of LCA.
The Life Cycle Assessment method is a method recognized and used internationally by the scientific community, private actors and political powers. It is framed by the ISO 14044 standard. It is recommended in particular because it is the only standardized, multi-criteria, multi-stage environmental assessment methodology applicable to all economic sectors.
LCA methodology is essential for the evaluation of food products, but does not claim to cover all the dimensions and all the complexity of food systems.
LCA is a method for quantifying the impact of a product on the environment throughout its life cycle (e.g. agriculture, transport, packaging, etc.). In addition to being a method taking into account all stages of the product life cycle, this method takes into account several major environmental issues (climate change, water quality, air quality, impact on soils ...) and not just the climate.
At each stage of the chain, material, energy and pollutant emission balances are produced and aggregated in the form of a set of environmental indicators: 14 indicators are provided for each product. These are the indicators recommended by the European Commission (Product Environmental Footprint project, see table below).
A single score is also proposed: it is the "single EF score" recommended by the European Commission, calculated with weighting factors for each of the indicators; the weighting takes into account both the relative robustness of each of these indicators and the environmental challenges.
The European Commission has established a classification of indicators, based on the robustness and the level of scientific consensus of the indicators.
Data Quality Ratio
A quality score - the Data Quality Ratio (DQR) - from 1, very good, to 5, very poor - is associated with each agricultural and food product for which Agribalyse provides life cycle inventories and impact indicators. The European Commission recommends caution in using data with DQRs greater than 3. In the AGRIBALYSE database, 67% of the data have a DQR judged to be good or very good (1 to 3).
Limitations and needs for evolution of the LCA methodology
In the current state of knowledge, the usual LCA indicators do not correctly reflect all the environmental stakes. Among the main challenges for the food sector, the limits and needs for evolution of LCA indicators, in particular on:
Water consumption at the agricultural level
Storage and release of carbon in soils
Impact of phytosanitary products on human and ecosystem health
Biodiversity
In short-term vision, this means that LCA cannot be used as a single measure to compare the environmental impacts of different production systems (organic farming versus conventional farming for example).
For more information on the “single EF score”, refer to the .
Source :
Impact indicators | Details | Units |
Climate change | The best known indicator, corresponds to the modification of the climate, affecting the global ecosystem. | kg CO2 eq |
Particulate matters | Particulate matters enter organisms, especially through the lungs. They have an effect on human health. | disease incidence |
Water use | Corresponds to the consumption of water and its depletion in certain regions. This category takes into account scarcity (it has more impact of consuming a liter of water in Morocco than in Brittany). | m3 world eq |
Resource use, fossils | Corresponds to the depletion of non-renewable energy resources: coal, gas, oil, uranium, etc. | MJ |
Land Use | Land is a finite resource, which is shared between "natural" (forest), productive (agriculture) and urban environments. Land use and habitats largely determine biodiversity. This category therefore reflects the impact of an activity on land degradation, with reference to "the natural state". | point |
Resource use, minerals and metals | Corresponds to the depletion of non-renewable mineral resources: copper, potash, rare earths, sand, etc. | kg Sb eq |
Ozone depletion | The ozone layer is located at high altitude in the atmosphere, it protects from solar ultraviolet rays. Its impoverishment increases the exposure of all living beings to these negative radiations (carcinogens in particular). | kg CFC-11 eq |
Acidification | Result of chemical emissions in the atmosphere which are redeposited in ecosystems. This problem is known in particular through the phenomenon of acid rain. | mol H+ eq |
Ionizing radiation, effect on human health | Corresponds to the effects of radioactivity. This impact corresponds to the radioactive waste resulting from the production of nuclear electricity. | kBq U235 eq |
Photochemical ozone formation, effect on human health | Corresponds to a deterioration in air quality, mainly via the formation of low altitude fog called "smog". It has negative health consequences. | kg NMVOC eq |
Eutrophication, terrestrial | As in water, terrestrial eutrophication corresponds to an excessive enrichment of the environment, in nitrogen in particular, leading to an imbalance and a depletion of the ecosystem. This mainly concerns agricultural soils. | mol N eq |
Eutrophication, marine | Corresponds to an excessive enrichment of natural environments in nutrients, which leads to proliferation and asphyxiation (dead zone). It is this phenomenon which is at the origin of green algae. | kg N eq |
Eutrophication, freshwater | Corresponds to an excessive enrichment of natural environments in nutrients, which leads to proliferation and asphyxiation (dead zone). It is this phenomenon which is at the origin of green algae. It can be found in rivers and lakes too. | kg P eq |
AGRIBALYSE® provides reference data on 2,500 food products consumed in France (including imported products).
The same ingredients and the same categories of food are found in the AGRIBALYSE® database - Food section - as in the nutritional database CIQUAL® managed by ANSES.
This construction allows users to carry out cross-analyzes on environmental and nutritional issues (comparison by dishes, menus or recipes). Users can find, for the same product, the nutritional composition of this product in the CIQUAL® database, and its environmental footprint in the AGRIBALYSE® database.
The data that will be provided in the simplified version of AGRIBALYSE® - Food section - represents the indicators calculated for "medium standard" products consumed in France. You will thus find, for example, the impact of a “standard” Margherita pizza, made up of conventional standard tomatoes, standard Gruyère cheese and standard conventional ham, from the majority production systems today, and packaged with the main material observed for this type of product (i.e. cardboard for pizza).
In order to take into account imported raw materials used in the manufacture of food products, "consumption mixes" were calculated. For example, the impacts of the “conventional standard tomato” used in pizza represent the weighted average of the impacts of tomatoes mainly used for processed products in France (ie 18% of tomatoes from French production, 46% of Italian tomatoes and 36% Spanish tomatoes).
The analysis of the food value chains for all the food consumed in metropolitan France represents a considerable scientific challenge, due to its scope and the complexity of the production, processing and distribution systems, on a globalized market. Therefore, the calculations needed to rely on a large amount of statistical data, supplemented by hypotheses and expert statements. Approximations and simplifications had to be made and are documented in the methodological report. The construction of hypotheses has always been carried out in the most "systematic" way possible in order to avoid bias, and by concentrating efforts on the most impactful structuring parameters. Thus, a particular effort was made on the agricultural stage, which represents the greatest impact phase for a majority of products, while the phases of transformation, logistics, packaging and use have been simplified.
The database contains a single set of environmental indicators for each of the 2,500 food products. No variant is provided for each of these products. The data do not allow comparison of food products of the same category (e.g. two yogurts from competing brands or an organic hamburger versus a conventional hamburger).
These data therefore reflect an “average” reality which allows the comparison of food products of different categories, but not the comparison of identical products from different production methods.
In the same way, there will be no variations depending on the season or the origin of the products. This is why it is advisable to consider these data as a first realization which has vocation to be enriched.
A few exceptions exist:
two variations are provided for tomatoes and strawberries to distinguish seasonal and off-season products;
the mangoes are the subject of a variation to distinguish the mode of transport: imported by plane and not by boat (at this stage, the exercise was not carried out on other products).
To guide users of the data, details of the impacts for each of the 2,500 products will also be provided :
by major stage: agricultural production, transport, packaging, distribution and use ;
and, for compound products, by ingredients.
AGRIBALYSE® provides reference data on the main French agricultural productions.
The AGRIBALYSE® database contains more than 200 life cycle inventories of agricultural products. These data provide information on the impact of agricultural production, taking into account all stages of production (including the manufacture of inputs, the consumption of the tractor, etc.) until leaving the farm.
The operations occurring downstream are not taken into account: it is therefore not data on finished food, ready to be consumed. The methodologies for constructing these data, as well as analyzes of results for certain sectors, are available in the documentation section.
These reference data on agricultural systems are available in an LCA format (specific software) and soon in a simplified format (Excel). Feed LCI data used by Agribalyse are also available in excel format on Ecoalim webpage.
Previous versions of AGRIBALYSE® already offered many references on raw agricultural products. The agricultural data available in version 3.0 correspond to the same data as in version 1.3, with improvements and enhancements:
minor changes and corrections to the emission models,
addition of missing products (new fruits and vegetables, integration of seafood),
significant enrichment of data on organic farming productions (results of the ACV BIO project).
LCA BIO PROJECT: this project piloted by INRAE aimed to illustrate the diversity of practices in biological systems (thus many variations of biological systems are proposed, and not a single biological model). This work also tested additional indicators (excluding LCA), in particular on biodiversity. The additional indicators are not yet integrated into the AGRIBALYSE® database, and it is advisable to refer to the reports of the LCA BIO project for more information.
AGRIBALYSE® produces a reference database of environmental impact indicators for agricultural products produced in France and food products consumed in France.
AGRIBALYSE® data are complex. They are not directly adapted to consumer information. Users of data who are not "experts" in environmental sciences should be careful to use them correctly, in particular by consulting the documentation.
AGRIBALYSE® data is freely available in two formats:
a full version, requiring the availability and proficiency of an LCA software to be consulted. It allows to see all the stages of production and to modify the production hypotheses at each stage.
The three software mentioned below are currently implementing version 3.1.1 of Agribalyse. This software making version 3.1 available to date. If you wish to have version 3.1.1 before it is made available by the software, contact us: agribalyse@ademe.fr
a simplified version, accessible to everyone :
CSV, in 3 files:
summary of results
detail by stage of life cycle stage
detail by ingredient
Methodological reports and scientific documentation produced in AGRIBALYSE® program available in english are gathered here.
Agribalyse 3.0=>3.1 change report :
The publication of Agribalyse 3 data in LCA software was accompanied by webinars :
January 2023 - presentation of Agribalyse 3.1 :
In addition to the methodology, we made a transversal analysis of Agribalyse 3.0.1 and explore the data variability between average product and commercial ones.
Data generated at the food scale uses several data sources:
Soon available in english
Soon available
: available directly on Simapro plateform.
Agribalyse 3.1 on : free open source LCA software
Agribalyse 3.1 on Brightway. Version provided by SustainCERT for ADEME. LCI Database, documentation, import guide. Be aware that some substances used by Agribalyse are not available in Brightway yet, inducing slight differences in results.
a spreadsheet for feed (available in ),
a ,
two spreadsheets for raw conventional agricultural products (below) and
In addition to Excel format, simplified versions for ready-to-eat food products are also available in :
Complementary LCA data to Agribalyse can be identified in platform.
Main session :
June 2020 - presentation of Agribalyse 3.0 : -
Not available in english.
Avadí A., Aissani L, Pradel M., Wilfart A. 2020 Life cycle inventory data on French organic waste treatments yielding organic amendments and fertilisers, Volume 28,2020.
Avadí, A. 2020 Screening LCA of French organic amendments and fertilisers. Int J Life Cycle Assess 25, 698–718 (2020).
Bessou, C., Tailleur, A., Godard, C. et al. Accounting for soil organic carbon role in land use contribution to climate change in agricultural LCA: which methods? Which impacts?. Int J Life Cycle Assess 25, 1217–1230 (2020).
Full report in french.
Not available in english.
Not available in english.
Not available in english.
Improve your production systems and your range of food products
One of the main purposes of the AGRIBALYSE® program is to provide data useful for eco-design initiatives undertaken by professionals in the agricultural and agrifood sectors (agricultural profession, agrifood industry, mass distribution, etc.).
Eco-design is an approach to improve the environmental performance of products. It is one of the pillars of the Circular Economy, to move towards a more "sustainable" production. Eco-design aims to integrate the environmental dimension into product design and development, with the aim of reducing impacts throughout the life cycle, while maintaining the quality of use of the product (sanitary, organoleptic, etc.). ).
In practice, for the food chains, this corresponds to identifying the key stages as well as the levers of progress to reinforce the environmental performance in the modes of production, manufacture and distribution of food. The analysis is based on different tools, including life cycle analyzes to quantify the environmental challenges and gains achievable, then prioritize them.
AGRIBALYSE® data is intended to serve as a reference for all stakeholders, and help them to build progress approaches in companies and sectors, based on recognized benchmarks.
The data can enable them to prioritize the stages and levers of action with regard to environmental issues in eco-design approaches, and to quantify and highlight the progress made. It is possible to make analyzes on a case-by-case basis (factory by factory, product by product) but also to work on more collective approaches to improve environmental performance around quality charters, names and brand dynamics.
This full version allows you to access all the hypotheses, and to adapt the default values. For people and organizations able to work with complete data, it then becomes possible to identify the main environmental challenges and test all types of improvement levers. Is it better to change my pizza dough recipe, my tomato supplier or work on a charter to improve farming practices for ham? what impact if I switch to renewable energy in my factory and or if I reduce my packaging?
This work of modifying parameters requires skills about LCA software and an understanding of the structuring of databases. Training courses exist as well as specialized service providers on the support of these procedures.
The complete database providing all the indicators for all the products is available in the formats specific to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data. These detailed data are freely accessible, without additional license, via two ACV software ( and ).
Educate consumers about the sustainability of their food
The scientific indicators provided by AGRIBALYSE® are complex to interpret for users unfamiliar with the Life Cycle Assessment methodology. They are therefore not directly usable for communication with the general public, but they can be used within the framework of environmental labelling. An experiment is underway in France to test environmental display devices for the food sector, which notably incorporates AGRIBALYSE® data.
The AGRIBALYSE® data being based on "average consumed in France" products, and involving "proxies", it is advisable to be careful in the comparison of close products (eg barley and wheat, orange and grapefruit).
AGRIBALYSE® data is particularly suitable for consumer information on an aggregated scale (menus / meal tray / diet). They can be used for example for carrying out coupled environmental and nutritional analyzes in collective catering.
The use of AGRIBALYSE® data at the product level is more complex since at the food scale the AGRIBALYSE® data reflect an average standard reality, not allowing, used alone, to compare products of competing brands by example.
« AGRIBALYSE helps to build a common vision on environmental issues between professionals, consumers and actors of civil society. We regularly use this data; in particular, they enabled us to show that environmentally friendly and economically affordable food is possible. »
Thomas Uthayakumar, Sustainable Food Systems Program Manager, WWF France
Studies about the calculation of environmental scores for environmental labeling are carried out outside the AGRIBALYSE program. These projcts indeed integrate parameters which go beyond the framework of Life Cycle Analyzes (politic and socioeconomic parameters).
An 18-month experiment, starting in February 2020 in France, carried out by the ministry in charge of ecology and whose coordination is entrusted by ADEME, should provide additional information on this subject. This experiment should, in particular, make it possible to collectively define the display methods and the associated indicators. In particular, it could test the possibilities of defining "hybrid" indicators based on both data from LCA (AGRIBALYSE® in particular) and indicators complementary to LCA indicators. This work should ensure the consistency of public policies and the contribution of the system to achieving France’s environmental objectives.
Most frequently asked questions about AGRIBALYSE® program and its data are listed here.
Agribalyse is a complex database, very useful for eco-design projects, in particular with its complete modular and adjustable version. This, accessible in LCA software, is mainly dedicated to environmental assessment experts because it is advisable to be trained both in the methodology of Life Cycle Assessment and in the use of software to be able to handle the data correctly. It is therefore not a "turnkey" tool for organizations new about LCA. In this case, it is recommended to be accompanied by relevant structures.
However, Agribalyse data is intended to be integrated into simple operational tools, including eco-design tools simpler than LCA software. These tools are not intended to be developed within the framework of the Agribalyse project, but rather by filed-based structures, closest to the users. Some tools already exist, others are set to develop.
Agribalyse data is freely accessible free of charge within ACV software. However, software has different modalities. SimaPro requires a paid license while openLCA is free software.
The integration of external data within Agribalyse is being discussed within the strategic committee, with the aim of encouraging external contributions. Agribalyse, however, aims to remain a generic database. Refer to the dedicated page for more information.
Agribalyse is limited to the indicators defined by the LCA methodological framework. Thus the database does not include animal welfare indicators (or social, economic indicators etc.). Reference should be made to other sources on this subject. This is one of the reasons why it is essential to take other indicators into account when comparing animal production systems: Agribalyse data are not sufficient.
Regarding biodiversity, there are no specific indicators in Agribalyse. Indeed, there is no international scientific consensus to quantify the impacts on biodiversity and provide one or more LCA indicators. Work is underway to remedy this. In the meantime, to compare production systems, it is necessary to supplement the LCA indicators with others (eg IFT, SIE, landscape diversity, etc.) reflecting biodiversity issues. Note, however, that several indicators provided by LCA are strongly correlated with biodiversity:
climate change, which is one of the major factors in the loss of biodiversity;
land use, which likewise strongly influences the state of ecosystems and biodiversity;
ecotoxicity, which corresponds to the effects of chemicals on living beings - currently only measured in freshwater environments;
and to a lesser extent, other indicators revealing the health of ecosystems: eutrophication, acidification, etc.
The agricultural component provides data for variations of products according to different production systems (labels in particular), including organic farming systems. However, it is not easy to compare organic systems with conventional systems only using Agribalyse data, for two main reasons:
Agribalyse does not fully account for all of the environmental impacts, in particular biodiversity and carbon storage in soils, for which organic systems are known on average to be more virtuous. Agribalyse is based on a flow and impact approach (improvement / degradation of the environment according to practices), and not on the state of the ecosystem.
In Agribalyse, different organic production systems are proposed, and not an "average France Bio" for such or such agricultural product, the data currently available on organic farming not allowing, at this stage to build a "standard system organic French medium "for each production. Thus, it is difficult to compare organic data with conventional "Middle France" data.
Different farming methods are also offered for each type of animal production (e.g. cow's milk, grassland system; cow's milk, dominant corn system; cow's milk, specialized mountain system). In the same way as for organic systems, it is recommended to complete the Agribalyse data with other indicators in order to compare production methods.
In the food section, only "average" products consumed in France are offered, without variation depending on the production method. Thus, it is not possible to compare an organic burger with a conventional burger.
The analysis of all the food consumed in metropolitan France represents a considerable scientific challenge, by its scale and the complexity of the production, processing and distribution systems, on a globalized market. The calculations therefore needed to rely on a large amount of statistical data, supplemented by hypotheses and expert statements. In the food section, for each product considered, a majority of standard packaging has been defined (cardboard packaging for pizzas, for example). Thus, except for manipulating the data via ACV software, there are no combinations according to the packaging method. Furthermore, the end of life of packaging has been well modeled. Refer to the methodological report for more information.
The database contains a single set of environmental indicators for each of the 2,500 food products. The data do not allow comparison of food products of the same category (e.g. two yogurts from competing brands or an organic hamburger versus a conventional hamburger). These data therefore reflect an "average" reality which allows the comparison of food products of different categories, but not the comparison of identical products from different production methods. To carry out this fine comparison work, it is necessary to collect additional data and adjust the LCA parameters in the software. Refer to the user guide and the methodological report for more information.
AGRIBALYSE is a unique environmental database covering all food product consumed in France. In this way, it is an important data source for setting up an environmental labelling. However, the AGRIBALYSE database cannot be the only source of data used for environmental information for consumer. The ADEME recommends associating other data, for the following reasons:
LCA scientific indicators are complex and need to be adapted / transformed for general public communication.
AGRIBALYSE provides environmental impact data for "medium" products: eg. 1kg of raw endives, 1kg of baguette, 1kg of applesauce. It does not provide methods to compare two identical brand products (eg brand X and brand Y apricot yogurt).
AGRIBALYSE data take into account different environmental impacts, but not all at the same level. The issue of biodiversity in particular is poorly taken into account in the LCA approach, in the absence of an international scientific consensus to quantify the impacts on biodiversity.
Even if it does not pretend to cover all the complexity of the environmental challenges of the agricultural and food sectors, LCA is an essential method for the environmental assessment of agricultural and food products. It is framed by the ISO 14044 standard and used internationally by the scientific community, private actors and political powers. It is recommended in particular because it is the only standardized, multi-criteria, multi-stage environmental assessment methodology applicable to all economic sectors. Thus it is the only method to integrate the different stages (from farm to fork), and to assess all the sectors and countries of production on a common scientific basis.
However, when interpreting the data, the methodological limits of this approach must be taken into account, as with any scientific modeling approach. On the comparison of extensive / intensive, and conventional / organic production systems for example, the Life Cycle Assessment approach provides a necessary but not sufficient insight. ADEME and Agribalyse's partners therefore recommend supplementing the analyzes with other data sources.
This license specifies that :
It is possible to adapt the AGRIBALYSE® data to create "Derived Information", products or services, and to exploit it on a commercial basis, for example by combining it with other information, or by including it in a service or application, subject to mentioning the authorship of the information: source and date of the last update.
To comply with this condition, ADEME recommends indicating an effective mention of his paternity, for example: "ADEME source, AGRIBALYSE data v3.0 - 2020". This mention of authorship does not confer any official status on the use. The user is solely responsible for the use and must not mislead third parties as to the content of the "information", its source and its date of update.
It is also recalled in this License that the absence of faults or involuntary errors possibly contained in the AGRIBALYSE® database is not guaranteed by ADEME.
Agribalyse relies on some ecoinvent data for background processes (non agri/food) as well as for some imported products. This data is only available in "unit process versions" of the database, through LCA softwares usually. Users need to have a valid ecoinvent licence to use those desagregatted data, and respect ecoinvent licence conditions.
AGRIBALYSE® data is accessible under the conditions of Etalab's "Open License" available in full here: .
For further questions on data use conditions, please contact Agribalyse .
Database such as Agribalyse must be updated frequently, to improve and reflect science" state of the art". We are already working on the next version of the database.
User contributions are essential to improve and develop the database. The willingness of Agribalyse's partners to encourage external contributions in the future, while ensuring the consistency and quality of the database. More precise rules for incorportation of external data are currently under discussion.
On the other hand, it is inevitable despite our efforts and the quality control processes, that some errors are still found in the database. We will indicate here those identified by partners and / or users, pending their correction in future updates. Some points correspond to errors, others to points of potential improvement. Users are encouraged to contact us if they believe they have identified other errors.
The Agribalyse team will also put some efforts into contributions for improving the general LCA method (seeLife Cycle Assessment Method)
A confusion in the name and columns order of the excel file “produits alimentaires” was identified immediately after its upload the 6th of October 2022. This file has been corrected and replaced the 12th of Octobre 2022.
An unfortunate error in the construction of the mix “Soja bean, BR, feed average” has been identified. It sums up 2 LCI including deforestation instead of making the average between a LCI with deforestation and a LCI without deforestation. The impact on the result is reasonable.
Improve your menus and help your guests in their choices
Without constituting a turnkey tool for those involved in collective catering, the AGRIBALYSE® database constitutes a rich source of information. Those data can indeed help you in your projects on:
« Thanks to AGRIBALYSE's objective and consistent data, we can better respond to consumers' demand for environmental transparency. To this end, we are developing calculation tools and physical and digital display devices on products, catering and recipes.»
Shafik Asal, co-founder of ETIQUETTABLE
Note about grain size of the data
AGRIBALYSE® provides data on “average” foods consumed in France. Thus, the AGRIBALYSE database does not allow today to compare the environmental impact of a burger made with organic meat, of a burger made with conventional meat. Likewise, the database does not allow the environmental impact of 1 kg of local tomatoes to be compared with 1 kg of non-local tomatoes.
Specific operational tools for collective catering will allow you to combine Agribalyse's information with other data sources (nutritional, biodiversity, etc.).
You have a question about AGRIBALYSE®? Do not hesitate to contact the teams in charge of the program!
Write to us to share your suggestions and contributions!
In case of questions relating to the program or the database, if you cannot find your answers in the documentation, we will be attentive to your demands.
Contact us: agribalyse@ademe.fr
ADEME and INRAE invite data users to contribute to the improvement and enrichment of the database
The AGRIBAYSE® program is part of a process of ongoing improvement, following scientific advances, and enriched with projects carried out by partners.
On September 29th, 2021, the REVALIM Scientific Interest Group (for Network for the Evaluation of Agricultural and Food Products) was created by the 4 members INRAE, ADEME, ACTA and ACTIA. A partnership had already existed since 2009 around the AGRIBALYSE® program, which enabled the construction of methodologies and a reference database of the environmental impacts of agricultural and food products.
Today AGRIBALYSE® faces major challenges relating to the use of data by expert and non-expert users, the updating and development of transparent and quality data scientifically validated over time, as well as expanding and perpetuating the database according to terms to be defined.
There is also a broad expectation from the community of users and scientists on improving the coverage of potential environmental impacts by environmental assessment methods.
Within the Scientific Interest Group REVALIM, the 4 founding members joined by 11 Technical Institutes, aim to:
Ensure a role of scientific animation
Improve LCA assessment methods so as to include dimensions that are currently insufficiently taken into account (biodiversity, toxicity, carbon storage in soils, change in land use, etc.)
Enhance this knowledge by producing data and tools that can contribute to the eco-design of agricultural and food products and to consumer information
Sustaining a scientific network around environmental assessment of agricultural and food products.
The SIG REVALIM roadmap 2021-2026 describes the work priorities for the coming years.
The data improvement process for future releases will necessarily rely on user feedbacks.
There are several ways to contribute:
Improved methodologies for calculating indicators, through specific R&D work (for example on carbon storage / destocking in soils), consistent with international work
Proposals for corrections and improvement of existing data. AGRIBALYSE® database mobilizes many hypotheses. Specific elements have already been identified to be refined in subsequent versions. Users are invited to notify us of any proposed changes relating to identified errors or proposed improvements to the assumptions relating to existing data. To do this, you can send an email to the Agribalyse support service at the address: agribalyse@ademe.fr
Proposals for integrating new data. Users are encouraged to propose the integration of new data: new versions of existing products (products under labels for example), integration of missing products (eg mushrooms), integration of missing agro-industrial processes (eg frying, freezing ), new recipe missing,... To do this, you can send an email to the Agribalyse support service at the address: agribalyse@ademe.fr
AGRIBALYSE is a database providing data on generic products, and it is intended to remain so. Thus, the database aims to enrich the product variations allowing to highlight the differences of impacts related to different production systems, processing or packaging (organic products versus conventional products, glass bottle versus bottle plastic, etc.). But, it is not intended to distinguish products from different brands.
ADEME, INRAE and their partners, however, encourage companies to produce their own data, in the context of eco-design projects in particular, by respecting the AGRIBALYSE® methodology, so that their data is comparable with that, generic, of the database.
Improvement of menus and recipes in nutritional and environmental terms, since the AGRIBALYSE® data is based on the same nomenclature and the same products as the CIQUAL® nutritional database.
Information for guests. It is therefore entirely relevant to mobilize AGRIBALYSE data in the context of voluntary display experiments about environmental labeying. The AGRIBALYSE® data are, indeed, particularly suitable for consumer information on an aggregated scale: menu scale or meal tray (comparison of a fruit salad with a red fruit panna cotta) or diet scale (comparison of diets with more or less animal protein per week for example).
When and how can I use Agribalyse data ? How can I communicate about my environmental results ?
Agribalyse data results from more than 10 years of research and expertise. They aim at reprensenting in the most accurate way possible the impacts of agriculture and food products. We follow an evolutive approach, with continuous improvement. It is therefore of paramount importance to well understand the scope, stenght and limitations of this data to ensure a suitable use. Users are higly recommanded to use the documentation provided along the data.
Also this data is built at first for french situation and food market. We believe they are suitable as « first approach proxy » for European country. Thanks to there robust and transparent modeling framework it is possible to adjust them (imports, logistics, energy mix...), to reflect different conditions. The data are not suitable as such for « southern countries ». Overall Agribalyse develeoppers identify a need for more data and other national databases. In future, our team is happy to share its experience, consider support and collaborations. Please note that the use of Agribalyse "desagregated data" outside of France requires an ecoinvent licence.
Agribalyse data is complex and comes with uncertainties, it must be considered for appropriate use. Avoid traps and read our documentation ( a specific user guide is available but only in French so far)
Environmental communication and data from Life Cycle Assessments are framed by ISO 14020/14040 standards. On the communication component, these standards focus on the main principles: information must be relevant, accurate, verifiable. Communication methods are also distinguished: official labels, self-declaration and eco-profiles. Comparing competing products notably requires specific elements: external critical reviews, reports in accessible "standardized" formats, etc.
All stakeholders wishing to implement environmental communication based on AGRIBALYSE and / or additional data have to refer to the good practices presented in these standards.
Since 2010, the AGRIBALYSE® program has produced methodologies and reference data on the environmental assessment of agricultural and food products.
Climate change, ecological crisis: an agricultural and food transition is necessary.
In the service of sustainable food, the AGRIBALYSE® program offers methodologies and a panel of robust data on the environmental impact of agricultural and food products, to improve practices, from field to plate.
The AGRIBALYSE® program provides a database and a reference methodology for the environmental analysis of food products.
The data are based on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method. This method provides indicators of the environmental impact of products, including all the stages involved in the manufacture of products (from field to plate) and taking into account different environmental issues (climate, water, air, soil, etc.).
Depending on the context of use, additional indicators must complement the AGRIBALYSE® indicators (eg biodiversity indicators, animal welfare, nutritional quality, etc.).
AGRIBALYSE®, this is :
All the environmental impact indicators for agricultural and food products supplied within the framework of AGRIBALYSE are published and updated regularly with the aim of being used widely :
for research and innovation purposes in the food product design,
and for consumers information.
an open source public database including data for 2500 food products consumed in France, and 200 agricultural raw materials produced in France
reference methodology for environmental analysis of agricultural and food products
research works to improve methodologies and data
a network of experts who supports you in understanding and disseminating the work (documentation, training, technical days)
a dynamic of continuous improvement: the constantly evolving database follows advances in science; it is enriched and updated regularly, and validated within the framework of a partnership ensuring their quality and transparency.