22nd Jun, 2026

Dependence on imports leads to increased emissions.

Today's global food system is both interconnected and oversimplified. A salad's path to the table consists of a long value chain, with between ten and fourteen stages. This involves significant strain along the way – on the plants' shelf life, on emissions from transport, and on extensive water consumption.

One kilo of salad grown in open fields (crops cultivated directly in the field) in Spain and eaten in Sweden can mean up to 1.6 kg CO2e in climate impact. A full 80 percent of these emissions come from transport. If the salad is instead grown in a greenhouse, emissions can be even higher, at over 2 kg CO2e per kilo of salad. Greenhouse cultivation has a greater impact due to emissions from production, including the heating of greenhouses; even so, transport still accounts for nearly 60 percent of emissions.

In 2024, we imported just over 21,000 tonnes of salad from Spain. With emissions of at least 1.6 kg CO2e per kg of salad, that corresponds to almost 34,000 tonnes of CO2e – roughly the same as if 45,000 people had flown round-trip between Stockholm and Bangkok.

In Sweden, salad is grown both in open fields and in greenhouses, which brings several advantages over imported alternatives. Swedish-grown vegetables have shorter transport distances and, on average, half the emissions of their Spanish counterparts. In addition, Sweden generally has stricter rules for plant protection products, which benefits Swedish consumers.

Here's how we calculated this:

Imported salad (Spain, open-field): Based on cultivation, refrigerated transport, and handling along the value chain. Total approximately 1.6 kg CO2e/kg.

Swedish open-field farming: Shorter transport distances and more efficient logistics result in lower impact, approximately 0.8 kg CO2e/kg on average.

In-store farmed salad (vertical farming): Calculated using the Swedish electricity mix, which is predominantly fossil-free. Total impact: approximately 0.3 kg CO2e/kg.

All figures include cultivation, energy use, transport, and packaging – but exclude household consumption. Variations may occur depending on operating methods and energy source.