By Pallab GhoshScience reporter
Ryan Holmes of the Compass catering team (centre) used the Oxford method to reduce the environmental impact of its workplace food.
Supermarket shoppers will soon be assessing the environmental impact of food before putting it in their trolley, thanks to new research.
Reliable information of this kind has not been found.
That’s because UK manufacturers only have to list their main ingredients, and that’s by percentage, not number.
Scientists have overcome this problem by using public data to estimate how thousands of food products are made and their impact.
Many consumers want to know how their weekly grocery shopping affects the world, although rising prices may be an immediate concern for many.
Professor Peter Scarborough of the University of Oxford told BBC News that he hopes the research leads to an eco-labelling system for consumers, but believes the biggest impact will come if the food industry uses it to reduce its footprint. of the environment.
He said the food industry was also “crying” for the new tool and that the algorithm was already being used by some manufacturers and caterers to make their food more sustainable.
“It fills a huge gap. Producers, caterers and retailers have access to the net [emissions] chain and don’t have the tools they need to get there.”
“Now they have this information, and some of them are talking to us about things they can do to help people move to buying more sustainable food. The data can help manufacturers change their practices.”
The analysis has limitations. The resource list has no way to display information such as country of origin or agricultural production method. But Dr Mike Clark, who led the research at Oxford University, called the app “an important step in providing information that can help you make informed decisions”.
The Oxford Group estimated the composition of 57,000 food and drink stores in the UK and Ireland. It then assessed the impact of growing, processing and transportation practices against key environmental measures including greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts.
The team developed an algorithm to calculate an eco-score for the environmental impact of individual food and drink products.
Food firm Compass Group began working with researchers in January.
Its Culinary Director for Business and Industry, Ryan Holmes, told BBC News that the use of the algorithm “has made us think about how we approach sustainability in the workplace” as the company seeks to find a production of zero by 2030.
He said the company cut out meat, added protein from other sources such as lentils, and used more whole grains and vegetables, and got more points for many of its meals for of staff canteens.
Meat and dairy score high
Under the algorithm, the higher the score, the higher the environmental impact. As expected, diets high in meat and dairy score higher than those high in plant-based ingredients. To see also : This Fourth of July, Aim to Be Free from Food Waste. On the other hand, many types of meat, such as plant-based sausages or burgers, have between a fifth and less than a tenth of the environmental impact of meat.
But there was also wide variation within certain groups.
For example, the pork sausage with the highest impact received a third more than the one with the lowest impact. And the effect of the biscuits was as high as that of the chocolate, showing that small changes in recipes can make a big difference, according to Professor Scarborough.
“If you look at the government’s plan to reach zero [emissions from 2050] in relation to the food industry, they do not measure the production of greenhouse gases, on the contrary, the recommendation is to reduce the consumption of meat.
“It’s good, because meat has the biggest emissions, but you’re missing out on foods that have a lot of ingredients that previously didn’t have reduction targets.”
Food firm COOK is exploring how eco-labelling can help its customers eat more sustainably.
COOK, the Kent-based frozen food manufacturer that wants to diversify away from meat, also worked with the researchers. It wants to explore whether measures such as putting eco-labels on its products can help consumers accept more sustainable food.
“This tool can help us make sure that as we develop new flavors there is a great choice for someone who wants to reduce the environmental impact of what they eat,” said Andy Stephens, head of fixed COOK food.
Researchers do not foresee eco-labelling becoming mandatory anytime soon. They want firms to adopt it voluntarily, which they believe will lead them to compete with each other in terms of the sustainability of their food and drink products.
A spokesperson for the Department of Environment, Food and Home Affairs welcomed the move.
“We want to give everyone the information to make healthier, greener or more sustainable choices about the food they buy, if they want to. The industry’s voluntary initiatives are really good and Our Food Policy we are looking again at how we can best support. see next time.”
The research is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
