A beef burger or a chocolate bar? Which will do more harm to the environment? You probably think you know the answer. One comes from a bloated, methane-belching cow, a leading cause of climate change; the other is a fairly harmless – and delicious – snack. Alas, it’s not quite that simple.

Experts say chocolate is a leading cause of deforestation, due to the need to cut down tropical forests to plant cocoa. The “highest-impact” chocolate might actually be worse for the environment than lower-impact beef, says Anya Doherty, CEO of Foodsteps, an environmental consultancy, and former food researcher at the University of Cambridge. “No one’s going to like me for saying that,” she admits.

The Telegraph London