Food Labels: Fat, vitamins and CO2 emissions?

Money on CNN recently posted an article titled "Britain Catches the Foodie Bug" on looking at how consumer labels have taken a drastic change for those living in the U.K. Products such as Walker Crisps (potato chips for Americans) now have labels that show the "g of CO2" used to produce the food. This and other food labeling practices are a growing trend of consumers demanding more information about the food they eat.

I see this as an amazing step towards bringing transparency into food, which has taken a back seat when compared to transportation environmental impact/emissions. Although emissions related to transportation has the largest impact with respect to greenhouse gas emissions. Food choices, in particular meat, are the second largest contribution according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. (See my review of Earth Save for more information on the environmental impact of food)

What is "g of CO2"
Besides the obvious that it is a greenhouse gas emission that is created during the process of making the end product, not much information is given. There are many questions that are left unanswered such as the following:

• Did they perform a life cycle analysis of CO2 emissions?
• What aspects did they include? (shipping, production, packaging, growing)
  
• What raw materials did they include? (gasoline, fertilizers, lubricants, water)

No study on CO2 emissions is perfect, because they all must make assumptions and limit the scope of their study. Thus, we must be critical of these labels, especially if they are voluntary and not regulated or certified by an independent organization. However, the actions that have been taken represent a step in the right direction towards more transparency in the food chain.

My Thoughts
It is up to the consumer in a society to demand change and an increased transparency. Without full knowledge of what is being purchased, companies are able to internalize the costs when they do not have to disclose any negative information about their food.

I think that the citizens in the U.K. are standing up for their rights to know where their foods comes from and what it took to produce it. If companies are forced to disclose the environmental impact that their food is having, consumers would be able to make a more educated choice and would ideally choose more sustainable options. This would of course encourage (or perhaps even force) companies to either change their products to be more environmentally sustainable.

I hope that the readers in the U.S. will educate themselves on this issue and push for more transparency and higher standards in food labeling. I want to know if my food has been genetically modified, treated with radiation, or sprayed with poisonous and potentially deadly toxins and pesticides.

There are good and bad foods out there, and as the saying goes "You are what you eat". Treat your body and the environment with respect: be conscious about your eating habits and you can make a difference to the not only to the environment, but also your health.