Frequently Asked Questions
Most frequently asked questions about AGRIBALYSE® program and its data are listed here.
The questions addressed are as follows:
Why is Agribalyse based on Life Cycle Assessment?
Are Agribalyse data freely available in LCA software?
Is Agribalyse a ‘turnkey’ tool that allows me to carry out eco-design projects easily?
Does the Agribalyse database include indicators on biodiversity and animal welfare?
Is it possible to compare different production systems, particularly organic and conventional, using the Agribalyse database?
Are agricultural products certified under public or private labels (Organic Farming, Label Rouge, Bleu-Blanc-Cœur, etc.) included in Agribalyse products?
How is packaging dealt with in Agribalyse?
Why do all products in the same category (e.g. cow's milk yoghurts) have the same environmental impact ratings?
Is the AGRIBALYSE database the best source of data for implementing environmental labelling on food products?
I'm looking for a specific product. How can I find out if it's available in Agribalyse? How can I find out how it has been modelled and whether it represents my product correctly?
How can I adapt generic Agribalyse data to better represent my product?
Where can I find the recipes used for Agribalyse products?
How can I find out where the environmental impact of an Agribalyse product comes from?
Why have the impacts of some Agribalyse products changed with the 3.1 update, while other similar products have not?
Why are the impacts of Agribalyse products different from impacts from other sources?
What is the DQR (Data Quality Ratio)?
Is the Agribalyse methodological framework compatible with the PEF (Product Environmental Footprint), a programme to harmonise LCAs at European level?
Does the AGRIBALYSE database enable contract caterers to apply article 24 of the EGALIM law?
Can you give details of the operations taken into account in the stages mentioned in the impact spreadsheets (for example, what is covered by the ‘transport’ stage)?
1. Why is Agribalyse based on Life Cycle Analysis?
Although it does not claim to cover all the complex environmental issues facing the agricultural and food sectors, LCA is an essential method for the environmental assessment of agricultural and food products. It is governed by the ISO 14044 standard and used internationally by the scientific community, the private sector and political authorities. It is recommended in particular because it is the only standardised, multi-criteria, multi-stage environmental assessment methodology applicable to all economic sectors. It is the only method that integrates the different stages (from farm to fork), and enables all production sectors and countries to be assessed on a common scientific basis.
However, when interpreting the data, it is important to bear in mind the methodological limitations of this approach, as with any scientific modelling approach. When it comes to comparing extensive/intensive and conventional/organic production systems, for example, the Life Cycle Assessment approach provides a necessary but not sufficient insight. ADEME and the Agribalyse partners therefore recommend supplementing the analyses with other sources of data.
2. Is Agribalyse data freely accessible in LCA software?
Agribalyse data are freely accessible in LCA software. However, the software packages have different terms and conditions. SimaPro requires a paying licence whereas openLCA is free software.
Since the Agribalyse database is based on ecoinvent data for background processes (non-agricultural/food processes), as well as for certain imported agricultural products, the ‘full’ version of the database in the LCA software is free under certain conditions (see Conditions of use page). Structures that do not meet these conditions must have a valid ecoinvent licence.
3. Is Agribalyse a ‘turnkey’ tool that allows me to carry out eco-design projects easily?
Agribalyse is a complex database that is very useful for ecodesign projects, particularly with its complete modular and adjustable version. The database, which can be accessed via LCA software, is mainly intended for environmental assessment experts, who need to be trained in both LCA methodology and software use to be able to manipulate the data correctly. It is therefore not a ‘turnkey’ tool for organisations new to LCA. In this case, it is advisable to seek support from relevant organisations.
Agribalyse data is nevertheless intended to be integrated into simplified operational tools, including eco-design tools without LCA software. These tools are not intended to be developed as part of the Agribalyse project, but rather by those working in the field who are closest to the users. Some tools already exist, while others will be developed in the future.
4. Does the Agribalyse database include indicators on biodiversity and animal welfare?
Agribalyse is limited to the indicators defined by the LCA methodological framework. The database therefore does not include animal welfare indicators (or social or economic indicators, etc.). Reference should be made to other sources on this subject. This is one of the reasons why it is vital to take other indicators into account when comparing animal production systems: Agribalyse data is not sufficient.
There are no specific indicators for biodiversity in Agribalyse. There is no international scientific consensus on quantifying impacts on biodiversity and providing one or more LCA indicators. Work is underway to remedy this, within the GIS REVALIM and internationally. In the meantime, in order to compare production systems, LCA indicators should be supplemented with other indicators (e.g. IFT, SIE, landscape diversity, etc.) reflecting biodiversity issues. It should be noted, however, that several indicators provided by LCAs are strongly correlated with biodiversity:
climate change, which is a major factor in the erosion of biodiversity
land use, which also has a strong influence on the state of ecosystems and biodiversity;
ecotoxicity, which corresponds to the effects of chemical substances on living organisms - currently only measured in freshwater environments;
and, to a lesser extent, other indicators of ecosystem health: eutrophication, acidification, etc.
5. Is it possible to compare different production systems, particularly organic and conventional, using the Agribalyse database?
The agricultural section provides data for product variations based on different production systems (labels in particular), including organic farming systems. However, it is not easy to compare organic and conventional systems using Agribalyse data alone, for two main reasons:
Agribalyse does not take full account of all environmental impacts, particularly biodiversity, where organic systems are considered to be more virtuous on average. Agribalyse is based on a flow and impact approach (improvement/degradation of the environment as a function of practices), and not on the state of the ecosystem.
In Agribalyse, different organic production systems are proposed, rather than a ‘France Bio average’ for a given agricultural product, as the data currently available on organic farming does not allow us at this stage to construct an ‘average French organic system’ for each production. As a result, it is difficult to compare organic data with conventional ‘average French’ data.
Different farming methods are also proposed for each type of animal production (e.g. cow's milk, grassland system; cow's milk, dominant maize system; cow's milk, specialised mountain system). As with organic systems, it is recommended that the Agribalyse data be supplemented with other indicators in order to compare production methods.
In the food section, only ‘average’ products consumed in France are proposed, with no breakdown according to production method. It is therefore not possible to compare an organic burger with a conventional burger.
6. Are agricultural products certified under public or private labels (Agriculture Biologique, Label Rouge, Bleu-Blanc-Cœur, etc.) included in Agribalyse products?
The data available for the agricultural sector is extensive, and Agribalyse includes inventories of certified agricultural production: both organic production (apples, pears, wheat, tomatoes, pork, etc.) and SIQO (Label Rouge, Bleu-Blanc-Cœur), as well as a number of conventional systems by type of production, reflecting the variability of production methods and their relative environmental impacts.
However, the scope of these data, differentiated by type of practice and certification, stops at the end of the field: these data are not used in the food products currently on the consumer's plate.
So, for example, appertised tomato pulp uses the average market data for tomatoes intended for industry, which takes into account several production methods (heated glasshouse tomatoes, average open-field tomatoes, organic open-field tomatoes, etc.), but there is no such thing as ‘Organic tomato pulp’.
However, it is entirely possible to reconstruct this type of data set relating to specific labelled products using LCA software.
7. How is packaging dealt with in Agribalyse?
In the food section, for each product under consideration, a typical packaging type has been defined (cardboard packaging for pizzas, for example), based on statistics and expert opinion. To date, no variations have been provided for different types of packaging. A project currently underway involving a large number of technical institutes and led by the CTCPA (PACK project) aims to improve the modelling of packaging in Agribalyse, in particular by providing packaging breakdowns for each food product.
In addition, end-of-life packaging has been modelled. See the methodology report for more information.
8. Why do all products in the same category (e.g. cow's milk yoghurts) have the same environmental impact scores?
The database contains a single set of environmental indicators for each of the 2,500 food products. The data cannot be used to compare food products in the same category (e.g. two competing brands of yoghurt or an organic minced steak versus a conventional minced steak). These data therefore reflect an ‘average’ reality that allows food products from different categories to be compared, but not identical products from different production methods. To carry out this detailed comparison work, it is necessary to collect additional data and adjust the LCA parameters in the software. Please refer to the user guide and the methodological report for more information.
9. Is the AGRIBALYSE database the best source of data for implementing environmental labelling on food products?
AGRIBALYSE is the only environmental database covering the entire food sector - it is therefore an important source of data for setting up a labelling scheme. However, the AGRIBALYSE database cannot be the only source of data used for environmental labelling.
To find out more, please refer to this page dedicated to environmental labelling (you will also find information in the Scientific Council's report and in the government report submitted to Parliament).
10. I am looking for a specific product. How can I find out if it is available in Agribalyse? How can I find out how it has been modelled and whether it represents my product correctly?
To find out if a product is available in Agribalyse, you can use the Excel spreadsheets or the online exploration portal using keywords in French, English or by CIQUAL number. These resources are available at https://doc.agribalyse.fr/documentation-en/agribalyse-data/data-access
For example, vegetable proteins come in different forms: ‘Vegetable soya and/or wheat dumpling, pre-packed’ or ‘Vegetable soya-based minced meat, pre-packed’. To find out if they correspond to my product, I can look up the associated information in the Excel spreadsheet: delivery, packaging, preparation at the consumer's premises.
If you need to know more about the assumptions made for the products (packaging, transport, etc.): more information is available in the methodological reports, available on the following page: https://doc.agribalyse.fr/documentation-en/data-use/documentation
To find out how a product is modelled in detail, you need to use LCA software: Simapro (chargeable), OpenLCA (free) or Brightway (free). Training in their use is strongly recommended. It is also possible to consult consultancy firms or LCA experts to carry out specific studies, or to obtain training. The following page lists resources on these subjects: https:
Note that Agribalyse represents average products on the French market, which may be more or less different from manufacturers' products. To assess the impact of specific products in the context of environmental labelling, tools will be made available by the Ministry to refine these inventory data.
11. How can I adapt generic Agribalyse data so that it better represents my product?
To adapt Agribalyse data (for example, to adapt the agricultural input to use organic production instead of conventional production), it is necessary to use LCA software on which Agribalyse is available (OpenLCA or Brightway, which are free, or Simapro, which has to be paid for). Training in the use of this software is strongly recommended to ensure that you understand how to use it, and how to use and interpret the results.
Alternatively, companies specialising in LCA can also carry out specific studies on this type of adaptation.
12. Where can I find the recipes used for Agribalyse products?
The recipes used for the products come from several sources: the majority come from ANSES, a small number come from a distributor, and the rest come from public sources (bibliography, Open Food Facts, etc.).
To date, to find out the ingredients and quantities used in the recipes for Agribalyse products, you need to use one of the LCA software packages, in which the recipes are explained. There is no other public document detailing the recipes for all Agribalyse products.
However, some information is available in the documentation. One of the appendices to the methodological report (Food section) lists the ANSES recipes used for each CIQUAL product (without details of the ingredients): this appendix makes it possible to identify products using the same ANSES recipes. Certain reports relating to products added or modified for version 3.1 may also detail certain recipes used (CTCPA, GINGKO21 reports).
13. How can I find out where the environmental impact of an Agribalyse product comes from?
To find out where the impact of an Agribalyse product comes from, it is possible to refer to the impacts by life cycle stage: Agriculture, Processing, Packaging, Distribution, Consumption, Transport. The impacts by life cycle stage are available either directly on the online data exploration portal https://agribalyse.ademe.fr/app, or via one of the tabs in the Excel file available for Agribalyse food products (products consumed by the consumer) on the data acess page.
To find out more about the origin of the impacts within these stages, it is necessary to carry out an in-depth analysis of the LCA data using LCA software. This can be done by training in the use of such software, or by seeking advice from experts or firms specialising in LCA. Resources are available at https://doc.agribalyse.fr/documentation-en/agribalyse-program/agribalyse-a-collective-construction-the-gis-revalim
14. Why have the impacts of some Agribalyse products changed with the 3.1 update, while other similar products have not?
The changes in impacts can be explained by several corrections/improvements made to version 3.1 (which are detailed in the change report available on the https://doc.agribalyse.fr/documentation-en/data-use/documentationpage) and which are of two types: methodological improvements (emissions models, for example) or data improvements (greater accuracy, etc.).
Corrections and methodological changes do not impact products and indicators in the same way. For example, corrections linked to changes in proxies, corrections in recipes, etc. only impact a few specific products, whereas changes in emissions models impact all the products in the database, but not to the same extent.
15. Why are the impacts of Agribalyse products different from impacts from other sources?
Comparing LCA impact results from different sources is complex and requires in-depth knowledge of LCA. Differences can arise from various aspects:
Is the functional unit comparable? In Agribalyse, the functional unit is 1kg of product consumed by the consumer. This means that losses are considered throughout the life cycle, which includes production, processing, packaging, distribution, etc.
Are the perimeters of the data comparable? For Agribalyse data, the scope does not include transport from the supermarket to the consumer.
Is the quality of the data comparable? For Agribalyse data, packaging is modelled in a simplified way.
Are the temporal and geographical representativeness of the data comparable? The Agribalyse data represent products on the French market, with production methods that are representative of France or of countries from which France imports. There may be major differences in impact due to differences in farming practices (intensiveness, production methods, etc.).
Are the allocations between co-products comparable? For Agribalyse data, there may be differences compared with international references: for the allocation between milk and veal, the allocation in Agribalyse is biophysical, whereas in the EFP (European context), it is economic.
Are the impact indicators and calculation methods used comparable? Agribalyse uses version 3.1 of the European Environmental Footprint (EF) method.
Generally speaking, it is important to refer to the documentation of sources that can explain the perimeters, allocations, assumptions, calculation methods used, etc., in order to make a reasonable comparison of LCA impact results.
For example, the impact of beef in Agribalyse is lower than the impact of beef in the reference article by Poore & Nemecek. There are several reasons for this:
The raw beef in Agribalyse takes into account different production methods in France in order to correspond to the national average: corn silage systems with different percentages in the ration, extensive mountain systems, etc. The Poore & Nemecek publication, on the other hand, is a meta-analysis of livestock farms around the world, including production methods very different from those observed in France (e.g. more intensive and energy-intensive in the USA).
The data also considers a percentage split between suckler and dairy farms, unlike the Poore & Nemecek publication, which seems to differentiate between the two meat categories.
The scope of the study may differ between the two sources: for example, green water (rainwater stored in the ground) is taken into account in one source but not in the other.
The allocations considered between the co-products of beef production (milk/meat/calf) may also differ (economic/biophysical).
16. What is the DQR (Data Quality Ratio)?
The Data Quality Ratio (DQR), ranging from 1 (very good) to 5 (very poor), is a reliability rating associated with each agricultural and food product for which Agribalyse provides life cycle inventories and impact indicators. This score is calculated according to the method recommended by the European Commission and takes into account several criteria: temporal representativeness (TiR) and technological representativeness (TeR), precision (P), and geographical specificity (GR).
17. Is the Agribalyse methodological framework compatible with the PEF (Product Environmental Footprint), a programme to harmonise LCAs at European level?
Agribalyse is closely aligned with the PEF recommendations, but there are some significant differences for certain products, due to the slightly different timeframes and perimeters of the two programmes. Overall, the two methodologies are very similar and should be harmonised.
There are a number of different guides to the recommendations made by the PEF:
the general PEF guide giving general methodological recommendations for conducting LCAs (life cycle stages, impact calculation methods, etc.);
PEFCR guides (Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules) defining rules for specific products. PEFCRs are not currently available for all Agribalyse products.
Agribalyse follows several of the recommendations in the general PEF guide: assumptions to be made at the distribution and supermarket stages, for example, and the calculation method to be used. The differences identified relate in particular to the following points:
The biophysical allocation of the impacts of livestock farming, particularly cattle farming, between milk and meat, is different between Agribalyse and the PEFCR dairy products;
The allocation of fertilisers to the different crops in the crop rotation;
The modelling of pesticide emissions is different (OLCA-Pest model in Agribalyse, simplified model in PEF);
The databases used in the background in Agribalyse (Ecoinvent, WFLDB) are different from those recommended by the PEF (dedicated database, harmonisation work in progress).
18. Does the AGRIBALYSE database enable mass caterers to apply article 24 of the EGALIM law?
To date, there is no direct link between Agribalyse and the consequences of the EGALIM law concerning the provision on ‘the introduction into mass catering of products acquired using methods that take into account the costs imputed to environmental externalities linked to the product during its life cycle’.
ADEME considers that the provision is not operational as it stands for mass catering companies (no tool to make the link between environmental indicators and the cost of externalities). Following the study carried out in 2019, ADEME no longer has any work in progress on this issue.
However, the Agribalyse data is quite useful for improving the sustainability of collective catering, but not for this ‘Egalim’ provision.
19. Can you give details of the operations taken into account in the stages mentioned in the impact spreadsheets (for example, what is covered by the ‘transport’ stage)?
Consumption : impacts of preparing and storing the product at the consumer's premises (cooking, chilled storage, etc.)
Supermarket and distribution: impacts of the distribution and sales stage in shops: consumption of energy, water, heat, emissions of refrigerants, etc.
Transport : impacts of transporting agricultural raw materials to processing plants AND transporting the product between the manufacturing plant, the distribution platform and the shop where it is purchased by the consumer. As a reminder, transport between the shop and the consumer is not taken into account in the Agribalyse data.
Packaging: impacts of the materials used in the shaping and end-of-life processes for CIQUAL product packaging, including transport from the supply to the product manufacturing plant.
Transformation: impacts of the agri-food processes required to transform raw agricultural products.
Agriculture: impacts of all agricultural production contained in the product's life cycle (this includes the transport of raw materials such as fertilisers, plant protection products, etc. to agricultural production).
Last updated
