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).

Tools for LCA experts

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.

Tools for the agricultural sector:

AGRIBALYSE data are used in operational environmental assessment tools for agricultural players:

MEANS-InOut®, the ecodesign software for agricultural production developed by INRAE and CIRAD.

Cap'2ER®, software for calculating the environmental performance of ruminant farms, developed by the Institut de l'élevage (IDELE).

GEEP®, the environmental management tool for pig farms, developed by the Institut du Porc (IFIP).

EGES®, a tool for assessing the energy and GHG performance of field crop rotations, developed by Arvalis (l'institut du végétal), Terres Inovia, and the Beet Technical Institute.

Systerre®, the multi-criteria evaluation tool for cropping systems, developed by Arvalis - Institut du végétal, Terres Inovia, ITB and ACTA.

PilotAgro and PerfAgroP3, developed by CEREOPA, for simultaneously assessing the economic, environmental (GHG, energy, ammonia) and nutritional dimensions of farms.

Farmtérix: designed by O2m Lab in partnership with INRAE, it can be used to produce a multi-criteria environmental balance sheet on the farm. It provides a view at farm, workshop and farm output level for all animal and plant production; it can also be used to simulate reduction levers. A decision-making tool, it can be used to manage environmental performance on the farm.

Tools for consumers:

The Etiquettable eco-calculator, developed by Eco2Intitiative, which offers a method for calculating the environmental footprint of plates (environmental, nutritional, health and societal impacts).

OpenFoodFact, the free database on food products.

The Parcel calculator, developed by Basic, Terre de liens and FNAB, which can be used to assess, for a given area, the agricultural land needed to feed oneself locally, as well as the agricultural jobs and ecological impacts associated with possible changes in agricultural production methods and/or diets.

Tools for the catering industry:

Climat Cantines is a tool developed by Eco2 Initiative to support canteens in their climate strategy, based in particular on Agribalyse data. Tested in the town halls of the 9th and 11th arrondissements of Paris, the results are convincing, with over 20% less impact on the climate, without any increase in costs.

Foodprint offers a turnkey service for calculating and displaying the carbon footprint of your catering dishes.

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.

AGRIBALYSE® is the most comprehensive French public database of environmental indicators for agricultural and food products based on Life Cycle Assessment.

It provides indicators of the environmental impact of :

• The main agricultural products produced in France,

• the main food products consumed in France.

The database contains data on over 200 agricultural products and over 2,500 ready-to-eat foods. It covers both agricultural products (an apple) and processed products (applesauce, muffins, etc.). It covers also all product categories in the main sectors consumed in France. It includes food products produced abroad and imported (coffee, chocolate, etc.).

The indicators in the database are derived from Life Cycle Analyses. This is a :

• multi-stage, taking into account all phases of the product life cycle,

• multi-criteria, covering the different environmental issues associated with products.

At each stage of the chain, material, energy and pollutant emission balances are drawn up and aggregated in the form of a set of environmental indicators: 16 indicators are provided for each product. These are the indicators recommended by the European Commission (Product Environmental Footprint project).

It should be noted that all the environmental indicators are calculated for the manufacture of 1 kg of food product.

A single score is also proposed: this is the ‘EF single score’ recommended by the European Commission, calculated with weighting factors for each of the indicators mentioned opposite. The weighting takes into account both the relative robustness of each of these indicators and the environmental issues at stake. This score is an average score, which includes a certain arbitrariness concerning the weighting between the different indicators.

Agribalyse data are based on research and a network of experts

AGRIBALYSE®, this is :

A public database for many uses

All the indicators of the environmental impact of agricultural and food products provided as part of AGRIBALYSE® are published and regularly updated with a view to their widespread use.

The main uses are:

• eco-design by professionals in the agricultural and agri-food sectors (farming profession, agri-food industry, mass distribution, etc.),

• information for consumers and players in the food chain,

• research and education

To find out more about the uses to which the data can be put, visit the dedicated sections:

From agriculture to food

The gradual construction of the database has involved around a hundred French and international experts in the agricultural, agri-food and environmental sectors. The methodologies and data were developed as part of a partnership to ensure their quality and transparency.

The first version of the database, published in 2014, focused on impacts linked to agricultural production. It was then gradually expanded to include all the sectors and stages in 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) was also used, particularly for imported products.

For the current version, the main developments were shared between INRAE for the agricultural section and leading Life Cycle Assessment consultancies for the food section (Gingko 21, Sayari, Blonk consultants, P.Koch).

The work is continuing: methodological improvements and the development of new data are expected in the coming years.

Connecting environment and nutrition

To facilitate a cross-disciplinary approach, the food products available in the Agribalyse® database are the same as those in the Ciqual nutritional composition table, published by Anses. The same ingredients and foods are available in Agribalyse® as in the Ciqual nutritional composition table, managed by Anses. Users can therefore carry out cross-analyses on environmental and nutritional issues (comparison by dish, menu or recipe). For the same product, users can find its nutritional composition in the Ciqual table, and its environmental footprint in the Agribalyse® database.

The GIS REVALIM

On 29 September 2021, the Revalim Scientific Interest Group (for Réseau d'EValuation des produits agricoles et ALIMentaires) was created by the 4 members INRAE, ADEME, ACTA and ACTIA. A partnership had already existed since 2009 around the AGRIBALYSE® programme, which led to the development of methodologies and a reference database on the environmental impacts of agricultural and food products.

The 11 technical institutes, as well as the OFB and ANSES, are accredited members of the GIS. They play an active part in the work of the GIS (via the work of the scientific and technical council and the working groups).

Within GIS REVALIM, the 4 founding members and the accredited members aim to :

The GIS REVALIM Strategic Committee

The guidelines, priorities and operation of the GIS are defined by the Strategic Committee. This is based on proposals drawn up by the Scientific and Technical Committee in terms of priority areas for action.

The participants in the REVALIM Strategic Committee are as follows:

Founding members :

• Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME) : Vincent COLOMB, Jérôme MOUSSET, Audrey RIMBAUD

• The National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE): Mélissa CORNELUS, Arnaud HELIAS, Sophie NICKLAUS, Alban THOMAS

• The Agricultural Technical Coordination Association (ACTA): Emeric EMONET

• The French network of agri-food technical institutes (ACTIA): Didier MAJOU, Laura FARRANT

Guest members

• Ministry of Ecological Transition and Solidarity (MTES): Valérie TO, Lisa CHENERIE

• Ministry of Agriculture and Food (MAA): Cécile POULAIN, Erwan DEGAVELLE

• Agroscope, as a link with international initiatives: Gérard GAILLARD

The GIS REVALIM Scientific and Technical Committee

The Scientific and Technical Committee (STC) is made up of representatives of the GIS Members and Adherents. Each representative is an expert in the environmental assessment of agricultural and food products. INRAE chairs the STC and ADEME is vice-chair.

Working groups have also been set up on the following subjects: carbon storage in soils, biodiversity, organic waste products, water footprint, toxicity, data quality approach. These groups are led by a member of the GIS and may call on outside experts (who are not members of the CST). The STC is responsible for the long-term monitoring of these groups (timetable, deliverables).

Sector and LCA experts who are members of the STC or the working groups

The following are the members of the STC (in addition to the members of the REVALIM strategic committee already mentioned below):

The Agribalyse database draws on other partner databases for "background" data and on a number of products imported and consumed in France.

These are the following databases:

• : an international, multi-sector LCA database

• : an international LCA database for food products (developed by Quantis and supported by major international food companies).

ADEME-ecoinvent partnership

ADEME and ecoinvent have been working together for many years on the subject of LCA databases, particularly Agribalyse. This cooperation is based on a foundation of shared objectives and values, at the heart of the respective projects: transparency of work and documentation, scientific excellence, compliance with internationally recommended methodological frameworks, integrity of governance, data quality control, wide dissemination of environmental knowledge at the service of public and private players for the environmental transition.

The Agribalyse database is based on ecoinvent data for non-agricultural processes (e.g. electricity, transport, etc.) and for imported products (e.g. pineapple, tomato, Morocco, etc.). Thanks to Agribalyse, ecoinvent users can access a robust and relatively complete ICV ‘Food’ database, reflecting the production and market conditions of a European country.

The cooperation between ecoinvent and ADEME is aimed in particular at enabling :

• pool efforts to develop new data and tools

• improve methodologies and ensure consistency between databases

• increase the use of LCA data by all stakeholders in support of the environmental transition.

AGRIBALYSE data is available in two main formats:

• a simplified version, accessible to all

• a full version, which requires the use of LCA software.

There are two types of data produced by AGRIBALYSE:

Life cycle inventories (=LCIs)

Lifecycle Inventories (LCIs) are models of each stage in the lifecycle leading to the finished product (the product consumed by the consumer in the case of food products, or the product leaving the farm in the case of agricultural products). These data are available in the LCA software packages SimaPro, Brightway and OpenLCA. This data is used to display production information (details of agricultural production, yields from the various processing stages, etc.). This data is free of charge and can be adapted for use in LCA software. Remember to update the ‘characterisation methods’ in your software.

🌍Brightway (format provided by G. Coste, SustainCERT for ADEME): Import guide; Brightway general documentation; Agribalyse ICV database. Please note that some substances used by Agribalyse are not yet available in Brightway, which may lead to small discrepancies in some results.

The environmental impacts of products (=impact indicators) calculated using the Environmental Footprint method.

These impacts are available:

• For raw agricultural products leaving the farm, using Excel spreadsheets:

-a spreadsheet for conventional raw agricultural products (at the farm gate):

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.

Terms of use of ecoinvent data

The Agribalyse database is based on ecoinvent data for background processes (non-agricultural/food processes), as well as for certain imported agricultural products. These data are only accessible in the 'full' version of the database, via LCA software in particular.

Users of Agribalyse data in LCA software must have an ecoinvent licence. For more information, please refer to ecoinvent licences.

User Guide

International standards about environmental communication

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.

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 ()

• France's National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment ()

• French technical institutes for agriculture and food industries (reprsented by and )

Invited members:

• French ministry of ecological and solidarity-basd transition ()

• French ministry of agriculture and food ()

• representing international similar initiatives)))

In this collective awareness period about the environmental challenges of food sectors, the 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.

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.).

Detailed data available via LCA software, to prioritize areas for progress and facilitate eco-design

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.

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 ).

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.

" AGRIBALYSE is a very useful reference tool and method for improving the performance of agricultural and food systems in relation to major environmental issues. The data is fairly complex to interpret, and support is needed to ensure that it is used correctly. Details will gradually be added, with the expertise of the technical institutes, to make certain data in the database even more reliable".

Emeric Emonet, Head of the Agroecology, Systems and Sustainability Unit at ACTA - the agricultural technical institutes

"Cristal Union has always placed environmental requirements at the heart of its policy. Agribalyse is a valuable tool that contributes to our CSR strategy. We use it in our various Life Cycle Analysis and eco-design projects. It provides a solid reference for meeting the expectations of our customers and consumers, and strengthens our position in relation to the competition."

Julien Coignac, Corporate Social Responsibility Coordinator, Cristal Union Group

Improving the environmental quality of food products

The AGRIBALYSE database is one of a number of tools designed to support companies wishing to take steps to improve the environmental performance of their products. ADEME supports these companies through the .

AGRIBALYSE data is complex. We recommend that you read the User Guide and browse the pages of this site: the answer to your question may be there! If the answer is not there, you can contact the teams in charge of the AGRIBALYSE® programme via the following e-mail address: agribalyse@ademe.fr

Depending on your question, we will redirect you to the most appropriate experts:

• The experts who are members of GIS REVALIM (ADEME, INRAE, technical institutes)

• Consultancies specialising in Life Cycle Assessment and trained in the use of the AGRIBALYSE® database

• Our local partners

Food LCA service providers and experts

Several consultancies have contributed to AGRIBALYSE, and can help you with your analyses, eco-design and/or environmental information initiatives (non-exhaustive list, in alphabetical order).

• Agrosolutions Contributors to Agribalyse, we support companies in the agricultural and agri-food sector in implementing their environmental strategy and monitoring indicators.

• Blonk consultants (Dutch, English-speaking), co-developers of Agribalyse 3.0, we are also developing an agricultural LCA database and are active on the PEF. We have been working with companies on these issues for over 10 years.

• Carbone4: Carbone 4 supports players in the agriculture and agri-food sector, from identifying the issues to action plans.

• Cereopa: we help players in the agricultural sector to understand and control the main determinants of their sustainability, in terms of their economic, environmental (assessed using the Agribalyse methodology) and nutritional components.

• Deloitte/InExtenso

• Eco2initiative: For over 10 years we have been working on sustainable food issues. Our Eco-calculator, incorporating the latest databases including Agribalyse 3.0, enables you to assess and display to your customers the environmental, nutritional and social score of your food products or dishes. We can also help you make the transition to a more sustainable diet, from product design and procurement to customer communication.

• EVEA: An environmental and social assessment consultancy, EVEA has a team dedicated to improving the performance of agricultural and agri-food products. EVEA can help you get to grips with the Agribalyse programme and help your company adopt the methodology, data and tools to improve the environmental performance of your product ranges. We also offer regular group training sessions.

• Gingko 21 : The Gingko 21 team puts its in-depth knowledge of the Agribalyse 3.0 database - which it co-constructed for ADEME - at your service to support your projects towards sustainable food: LCA and nutrition assessments, recipe optimisation, packaging, supply chain, eco-innovation, communication and environmental labelling, training in the use of Agribalyse 3.0 data, etc. Our eco-design and agri-food experts are on hand to help you implement your CSR strategy and improve the environmental performance of your products.

• Koch Consulting Independent consultant, I was one of the developers of Agribalyse v1 and v3. Thanks to my skills in LCA and IT, I can help you use and adapt the data to your situation.

• Maobi can help you carry out Life Cycle Assessments or formalise your eco-design approach to products and the agri-food chain. In particular, we use the latest version of Agribalyse in order to benefit from the most up-to-date LCIs with a view to ensuring methodological robustness.

• O2M: O2m Conseil offers to use the Agribalyse methodology and database to assess and add value to your producers' specifications and your industrial practices, to gradually roll out eco-design in your ranges and recipes and, lastly, to make the link with current work on the Environmental Display of consumer products.

• Quantis : Quantis uses the Agribalyse tool to help you understand your environmental challenges, eco-design your products and build sustainable development strategies for your agri-food business.

• Sayari: Sayari was co-developer of Agribalyse 3.0 for ADEME and is contributing to the development of environmental labelling in France and Europe. Are you looking for expertise on the environmental footprint of agricultural or food products? Whether it's a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Biodiversity Footprint, Toxicity, environmental labelling or Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) calculation.

• Xavier Joly Conseil: Xavier Joly is an independent consultant specialising in agricultural production, food processing and seafood products. Xavier helps players in the food chain to improve the environmental performance of their products. He uses Agribalyse data and various tools such as the MEANS-InOut software to eco-design products in line with the CSR approach (ISO 26030) and the Sustainable Development Goals (water, energy, innovation, responsible purchasing, etc.).

• SCE / S3D: two consultancies in the KERAN group (an independent group) offering their expertise in LCAs related to food and bioresources.

Training in agricultural/food LCA and Agribalysis

There are various ways to learn about LCA and Agribalyse. The technical institutes and consultancies mentioned above offer group or individual training sessions. In addition, certain agronomy schools and the national eco-design centre also offer sessions, which can be opened externally.

An online course (1 hour) on how to use Agribalyse in openLCA has been produced by Philippe Loubet of ENSCBP - Bordeaux INP. Free access.

Recurrent training courses : Agroparistech; Montpellier SupAgro/ELSA cluster; INRAE Rennes/Plateforme MEans-InOut; Pole national eco-conception;MOOC Ecoconception ADEME-AgroParisTech;

AGRIBALYSE® data is accessible under the conditions of Etalab's "Open License" available in full here: OPEN LICENSE ETALAB.

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.

User rights concerning ecoinvent data used by Agribalyse

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.

For further questions on data use conditions, please contact Agribalyse user support.

Analysing the production systems for all the food consumed in mainland France represents a considerable scientific challenge, given the scale and complexity of the production, processing and distribution systems in a globalised market. To carry out the calculations, we had to rely on a large amount of statistical data, supplemented by hypotheses and expert opinion.

Approximations and simplifications had to be made, and these are documented in the methodology report. Hypotheses were always constructed as "systematically" as possible in order to avoid bias, and by concentrating efforts on the structuring parameters with the greatest impact, known thanks to the consortium's expertise. Particular effort has therefore been focused on the agricultural stage, which for the majority of products represents the phase of the life cycle with the greatest impact, while the processing, logistics, packaging and use phases have been simplified.

Focus on the modelling of agricultural products

The environmental indicators available on the impacts associated with agricultural production are calculated for 1 kg of raw agricultural product (e.g. 1 kg of wheat leaving the farm). The calculations take into account all the processes upstream (manufacture of inputs) and in the field (cultivation operations), stopping at the end of the field. Impacts relating to transformation processes, logistics, transport, packaging and product use are not taken into account in this agricultural section.

The data available for the agricultural section is rich: it concerns average products, and variations (integrated farming, organic farming, grass-fed farming, etc.), reflecting the variability of production methods and their relative environmental impacts. The "standard/average" practices are the result of the representativeness of these different production methods in France today.

Focus on food modelling

Data based on "consumption mixes"

For the raw agricultural products used in the manufacture of food products, ‘consumption mixes’ have been calculated to take account of imported products. For example, the impacts of the ‘standard conventional tomato’ used in pizza represent the weighted average of the impacts of the tomatoes mainly used for processed products (i.e. 18% of tomatoes from French production, 46% of Italian tomatoes and 36% of Spanish tomatoes).

"Average/standard" products representative of products consumed in France

The impact indicators provided by AGRIBALYSE (in its simplified version) represent indicators calculated for "standard" products, the most widely consumed in France. For example, we can see the impact of a ‘standard’ Margherita pizza, made from "standard" conventional tomatoes, standard "conventional" Gruyère cheese and standard "conventional" ham, produced using the most common production systems today, and the most common packaging used for this type of product. The impacts of the "conventional standard tomato" in the pizza represent the weighted average of the impacts of the tomatoes most commonly used for processed products (i.e. 18% of tomatoes from French production, 46% of Italian tomatoes and 36% of Spanish tomatoes).

At this stage, this simplified version does not provide any "variations" at food level : there is only one set of environmental indicators for each of the 2,500 Ciqual products, and therefore no variation for each of these products. This means that the simplified version of Agribalyse® data cannot be used to compare food products in the same category (e.g. two Margarita pizzas from competing brands, or an organic Pizza Margarita and a non-organic Pizza Margarita). These data therefore reflect a ‘majority standard’ reality, and allow food products from different categories to be compared.

With the exception of a few "test products", there is no breakdown of the available indicators according to season or local produce sourcing.

The current LCA framework provides structuring and useful elements to shed light on the environmental aspect of the sustainability of agricultural and food systems. However, this framework still needs to be consolidated and improved to better cover all the environmental issues facing the sector. The usual LCA indicators do not currently capture all the potential environmental impacts, and modelling needs to be improved for certain impacts. Among the main issues for the food sector, the limitations and development needs of the LCA and Agribalyse indicators relate in particular to :

• Better representation of all pressures and practices favourable to biodiversity

• An improved account of carbon storage/removal processes in soils

• A better description of transformation processes and the use of by-products in the agri-food industry

• A better description of the degradation of pesticides in the environment, and their impact on human health and ecosystems

• A better spatialisation of water consumption

In the short term, this means that when LCA is used to compare the environmental impacts of different production systems (organic versus conventional farming, intensive/extensive livestock farming, etc.) and processing systems, these limitations must be explicitly highlighted. It may therefore be useful to use additional indicators, to be defined according to the context and the scale of the work. These additional indicators could be, for example, Areas of Ecological Interest for biodiversity, animal welfare indicators or socio-economic indicators.

Work to improve the LCA framework is underway at international, European and French level (via the GIS REVALIM in particular). Projects carried out as part of the AGRIBALYSE programme and then the GIS REVALIM have already proposed methodological improvements, but not all of these have yet been incorporated into the database. Their results will be gradually incorporated into AGRIBALYSE in the future. They will make it possible to consolidate environmental analyses to provide a more complete picture of the interactions between food and the environment.

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.

AGRIBALYSE® 3.0: what's new in agricultural data?

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).

A mirror construction with the CIQUAL nutritional database

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.

Data on "average" products, representatives of the products consumed in France

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.

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.

Life cycle analysis (LCA), a multi-stage and multi-criteria methodology

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: 16 indicators are provided for each product. These are the indicators recommended by the European Commission (Product Environmental Footprint project, see table below).

LCA indicators provided in Agribalyse

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.

Indicators with uncertainties

Agribalyse® work systematically seeks to use available international standards (FAO, European Commission, ISO, etc.). The data is designed to evolve in line with new knowledge, improved methodologies and the integration of new products. Regular updates are carried out (every 18/24 months). Although every effort is made to ensure data quality, several sources of uncertainty remain.

• Uncertainty concerning the data used to calculate impacts is highlighted by a reliability score associated with each piece of data (the DQR, or Data Quality Ratio). This score (from 1, very good quality, to 5, poor quality) is calculated according to the method recommended by the European Commission. It is not possible at this stage to provide quantitative uncertainty data (standard deviation): estimating these uncertainties would require unavailable data.

• Uncertainty concerning the models used to calculate impacts through a robustness classification of indicators drawn up by the European Commission. (see previous paragraph).

1. Is Agribalyse a "turnkey" tool allowing me to carry out eco-design projects easily?

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.

2. Are Agribalyse data accessible free of charge in LCA software?

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.

3. I have produced LCA data on products that do not exist in Agribalyse: could they be integrated the database?

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.

4. Does Agribalyse database include indicators on biodiversity and animal welfare ?

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.

5. Can we compare different production systems, in particular organic and conventional, on the Agribalyse database?

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.

6. How is the question of packaging dealed with in Agribalyse?

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.

7. Why do all the products in the same category (example: cow's milk yogurts) have the same environmental impact ratings?

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.

8. Is the AGRIBALYSE database the best source of data for setting up environmental labeling on food products?

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.

9. Why is Agribalyse based on Life Cycle Assessment?

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.

Documentation and webinar regarding the 3.1 version of Agribalyse database

• Agribalyse 3.0=>3.1 change report :

Agribalyse Webinars

The publication of Agribalyse 3 data in LCA software was accompanied by webinars :

• January 2023 - presentation of Agribalyse 3.1 :

  • Main session :

• June 2020 - presentation of Agribalyse 3.0 : -

Documentation regarding the construction of the AGRIBALYSE® 3.0 database; food products

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

Specific documentation concerning certain sectors

​Soon available

Specific documentation regarding methodological projects

GIS REVALIM wanted to advance and improve the current LCA method for taking into account variations in Carbon stocks in soils and biomass, and the associated GHG emissions linked to land use and changes in land use. In this context, the ACV CARBONE project, co-funded by ADEME and coordinated by ARVALIS-Institut du végétal and INRAE, has proposed concrete solutions that are currently being discussed for potential integration into the Agribalyse 3.3 version (due in 2026). The project has produced several deliverables:

Previously, the subject of Carbon in soils had also been the focus of the SOCLE project. Several reports have emerged from the SOCLE project:

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.

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 SIG REVALIM invites you to contribute to the improvement of the AGRIBALYSE® database

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

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)

Main mistakes already identified for the future update of AGB 3.1 :

• 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.

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.

Legal terms of use - Etalab License

AGRIBALYSE® data is accessible under the conditions of the Etalab ‘Open License’ available in full at the following link: ETALAB OPEN LICENSE.

This licence specifies that it is possible to adapt AGRIBALYSE® data to create ‘Derived Information’, products or services, and to exploit it commercially, for example by combining it with other information, or by including it in a service or application, provided that the authorship of the information is mentioned: its source (ADEME) and the date of the last update. To comply with this condition, ADEME recommends that the authorship of the information be mentioned, for example: ‘ Source ADEME, données AGRIBALYSE v3.1.1 - 2023 ’. This acknowledgement of authorship does not confer any official status on the use. The user is solely responsible for its use and must not mislead third parties as to the content of the ‘information’, its source and its date of update.

Finally, it is reminded in this Licence that the absence of defects or involuntary errors that may be contained in the AGRIBALYSE® database is not guaranteed by ADEME.

Terms of use of ecoinvent data

The Agribalyse database is based on ecoinvent data for background processes (non-agricultural/food processes), as well as for certain imported agricultural products. These data are only accessible in the 'full' version of the database, via LCA software in particular.

Users of Agribalyse data in LCA software must have an ecoinvent licence. For more information, please refer to ecoinvent licences.

User Guide

International standards about environmental communication

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.

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.

Environmental communication is governed by standards

Environmental communication and data from Life Cycle Analyses are governed by ISO 14020/14040 standards. In terms of communication, these standards set out the main principles, with information having to be: relevant, accurate and verifiable.

The methods of communication are also distinguished: official labels, self-declaration and eco-profiles. Comparisons between competing products require precise information: external critical reviews, reports in accessible ‘standard’ formats, etc.

All stakeholders wishing to implement environmental communication based on AGRIBALYSE® and/or complementary data are invited to refer to the best practices presented in these standards.

The use of AGRIBALYSE® data for consumer information

🔸Use of data on an aggregated scale

AGRIBALYSE® data is particularly suitable for consumer information on an aggregate scale: menu or meal tray scale (comparing a fruit salad with a red fruit panna cotta) or diet scale (comparing diets with more or less animal protein per week, for example).

The AGRIBALYSE® database is not a turnkey tool for caterers, but it is a rich source of information. This data can help you with your projects on:

• Improving menus and recipes from a nutritional and environmental point of view, since AGRIBALYSE® data is based on the same nomenclature and the same products as the CIQUAL® nutritional database.

• Informing diners. The AGRIBALYSE data can be used in the context of the voluntary labelling experiments provided for under article 26 of the EGALIM law.

Several tools developed for canteen managers incorporate Agribalyse data. Find out more on the next page:

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

Environmental labelling of food products, a complex issue, an ongoing experiment