Is Carbon Footprint more important than calories?

Following a trial of ‘carbon labelling’ on menus by The Canteen, a vegan charity has launched a campaign urging the government to prioritise this over calories.

The petition, launched by Viva! has collected more than 1,600 signatures to date.

It states: “The urgency of the climate and wildlife extinction crises is growing and the government needs to step in and make carbon footprints on menus mandatory.”

Business’s can calculate their Carbon Footprint here.

In contrast, prioritising carbon footprint labelling encourages awareness and connection to what we eat, argues Laura Hellwig, managing director for Viva!

“Raising awareness of the carbon footprints from the production of meat, dairy, fish and eggs is crucial – a lot of people have no idea that eating one beef burger can be as damaging as driving the average UK petrol car for ten miles,” says Laura.

A vegetarian diet “greatly reduces an individual’s carbon footprint, but switching to less carbon-intensive meats can have a major impact as well”, according to the Centre for Sustainable Systems.

Viva’s petition continues: “Meat, dairy, fish and eggs have a considerably higher negative impact on the planet than vegan alternatives and we need more awareness of the link between our food choices and the environment.

“If everyone was to go vegan, it’s predicted we could reduce food-related greenhouse gas emissions by two-thirds and still provide enough food for everyone on the planet.”

Matthew Isaacs, co-founder of My Emissions, points out that the global food industry accounts for around 26 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions: “Climate change is the problem of our generation, and eating more low carbon food is one of the best ways we can reduce our impact on the planet.”

The decision follows new legislation that came into effect in April this year, which requires large restaurants to display the calories of each item on their menus.

The controversial legislation has led to mental health and ED activists questioning whether such a move will really benefit people’s health, and how sensible the move is for those suffering from eating disorders.

Nevertheless, the legislation shows it is clear that the government is able to implement industry-wide rules to inform people on their eating habits, argues Viva!

Could carbon labelling be an alternative to calorie labelling, with the potential for a more positive outcome?

Restaurant and hospitality company, Levy and carbon footprint calculator Klimato launched a A Recipe for Change initiative last year, and analysed the carbon footprint of the food served at COP26, informing which dishes had the lowest impact in terms of emissions.

A study conducted by the University of Wüzuburg in Germany and published in PLOS Climate journal, found that when people were given the carbon footprint on food menu items, they were more likely to make healthy, and less environmentally harmful decisions.

During the study, the dishes were labelled as high, medium, and low carbon emissions. Results showed that consumers chose dishes that had less of a carbon footprint, and as a result, food outlets’ greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 13.5 per cent.

Doctor Harris says adding predominantly vegan dishes in food outlets is another way of reducing food outlets’ carbon footprint.