Eco-Labelling Could Benefit All

Food labelling has long been a hot topic, but now the Department for Food, the Environment and Rural Affairs plans to introduce another label – which would provide information on the food’s environmental impact.

The green standard would allow consumers to know something about the environmental provenance of the food they buy, which could provide better recognition for farmers in the market place.

But do we really need more labels?

Are we in danger of confusing shoppers with information overload?

Food packaging now carries more information than ever before.

As well as the controversial information about nutrient profiling and cooking instructions, labels can tell us the country of origin and whether the food has a quality mark.

On meat products, there is often information about animal welfare, provenance and farm assurance, and artfully shot photographs of the producer are now in vogue.

But British farmers stand to gain from a carbon label, simply because their food produces fewer air miles.

Flying mange tout from Argentina or strawberries from Israel may become a less appetising prospect for more environmentally concerned consumers, and could direct them back to seasonal, locally-produced food.

With retailers reporting that consumers are becoming more interested in where their food is produced, a carbon label could provide a fillip to the local food boom.

Retailers tell us that consumers want more information about where their food comes from.

But labelling also allows retailers to add value to products and encourage shoppers to buy.

Tesco, for instance, now carries six beef ranges, including standard, traditional and premium lines. There is more choice than ever before.

But, in reality, do shoppers have time to scrutinise every food label? As modern life becomes more frenetic it seems doubtful that we will be spending more of our valuable languidly reading food labels.

And the problem is intensified when you consider that the purchase of processed meals is booming – how then to list the origin of every ingredient?

Balancing the need for relevant information with clear, simple labelling is not easy.

But as concerns over man’s effect on climate change grow, an eco- label could influence shopping habits, and those who produce food locally have the most to gain.

Leigh Roberts is a consultant for food and farming PR specialists Coleman Roberts Communications www.colemanroberts.co.uk

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