Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a carbon rating system on food labelling to indicate to consumers the carbon footprint of their food purchases.

The environmental impacts of food are complex, with the whole food chain having a role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and meeting both domestic and international climate targets.

Measuring emissions from food is therefore complex and no single metric can yet capture the full picture. A food carbon footprint is just one sustainability indicator which could be used to measure and improve sustainability across the food chain, from farm to fork.

The Government is supportive of work being done in this area and is working with academia and industry stakeholders. We have commissioned new research by WRAP to bridge the identified evidence gaps. We recognise the benefits of a standard approach in defining metrics and capturing, calculating, and recording data for greenhouse gas emissions reduction. This research aims to agree a common set of emission factors (reviewed by an expert panel with Government and industry representation), whilst also reviewing the pathway to robust data for supply chain emissions and governance.

Through our consumer insights work we are creating a solid evidence base to best understand both consumer and industry appetite for carbon and additional eco-labelling, along with understanding how consumers might use this information when in store. It will also help us understand whether such labelling leads to more sustainable supply chains.

We are continuing to investigate further opportunities to review other aspects of food labelling throughout the development of the forthcoming government Food Strategy White Paper.