Fig. 1: EU-27 EF by consumption categories (left) and BC by land types (right) in selected years (2004–2014).

The EF consists of five major categories: food, goods, housing, personal transportation and services. Food, in turn, includes a number of food typologies, that is, bread and cereals; milk, cheese and eggs; fruit; meat; plant-based oils and fats; vegetables; non-alcoholic beverages; fish and seafood; animal-based oils and fats; sugar, jam, honey, chocolate, confectionery and alcoholic beverages; food products not elsewhere classified (n.e.c.). This classification is based on the United Nations COICOP coding system. BC consists of five land types: cropland (for the provision of plant-based food, feeds and fibre products), grazing land (for the production of animal products); fishing grounds (for the production of fish products); forests (for the production of timber and other forest products, and for CO2 sequestration); and built-up surfaces (for the provision of shelter and other urban infrastructures).