Carbon food labels 'may not work', say Guernsey growers

The practicalities of plans to introduce carbon footprint labelling on food are being questioned by growers in Guernsey

BBC News | 22 February 2010

The UK's Carbon Trust is working with manufacturers to make the change, in addition to the current nutritional information.

But Alan Dorey, president of the Guernsey Growers Association, said the theory might not work in practice.

He said it would be difficult to decide which carbon inputs to include.

Simple Choices

Mr Dorey said: "If we talk in overall terms, anything that is grown in Guernsey and eaten in Guernsey must have the lowest possible carbon footprint.

"A carbon label is very difficult as you have to try and bring in all the inputs.

"So if you're, say, growing a tomato, do you have a carbon analysis of the glasshouse structure, for example?"

Euan Murray, from the Carbon Trust, said research showed "a quarter of people said it was really important to them" and they wanted to make "simple choices that don't cost them anymore, but have a real impact on the climate".

He gave an example of the footprint of a packet of crisps, which is one foodstuff that bears the label.

'Food miles'

Mr Murray said: "It's everything from the farmer ploughing the field to grow the potatoes, it's making the packaging, it's the 'food miles' and it's turning all that into that bag of crisps in the factory, but then of course we add a bit to it too.

"You don't put crisps in the oven or in the fridge, but of course we do something with the packaging when we've finished eating it and all that together adds up to be its carbon footprint."

He said the labels represent all greenhouse gas emissions associated with the product expressed as an amount of carbon dioxide.

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