Momentum grows for food eco-labelling

The scheme – which has completed successful trials – assesses the complete lifecycle of a specific product, taking into account factors such as carbon emissions, water usage, water pollution and biodiversity loss. Each product will be given a label with an overall rating which can range from A+ down to G, alongside a traffic light indicator. This label will be displayed prominently on the packaging so consumers can make purchasing decisions quickly.  

Foundation Earth’s isn’t the only eco-labelling scheme in the pipeline. Value supermarket brand Lidl is trialling its own eco-score label, while some manufacturers, such as Oatly, have their own environmental assessments displayed on their packaging. More recently, school food provider Sodexo has introduced carbon-labelled school meals at 12 secondary academies within the UK.

However, the proliferation of different eco-labelling trials has sparked concern among some over a lack of consistency. Professor Robin May, the UK Food Standard Agency’s chief scientific adviser, says that food labelling must be unified, transparent and accurate. Speaking to ITV news, he said: "Currently, there are no internationally agreed standards for eco-labelling, or for what type of data should be measured. This must be addressed urgently through collaboration between business, academia and government, so that the food system can be set on a path to sustainability."