Does the presence of an eco-label change our dietary choices? Specifically, does it make those choices more environmentally friendly?
That’s the question a group of researchers set out to answer three years ago in an out of home setting. The results are finally in and they don’t make for cheerful reading for anyone pinning their hopes on eco-labels to transform our eating habits.
Researchers analysed the total environmental impact of hot meals sold over a 6-week period within 54 worksite cafeterias operated by a single nationwide catering provider between January and April 2022. The results showed no evidence that the presence of an eco-label changes people’s purchasing behaviours.
The sites, spanning manufacturing, factory, and office workforces, were divided into two groups: 35 were allocated as a control group with no eco-labels, while the remaining sites displayed eco-labels on menus beside meal options and next to dishes on hot meal counters. Meals were categorised into colour-coded, A-E labels based on their overall impact across four indicators – greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, eutrophication and water scarcity.
The results, published in the BMC Public Health journal, found no significant effect of the intervention on the environmental impact scores of meals sold, nor on any of the four indicators that composed the total score.
The conclusion? That eco-labels may not be an effective tool to shift consumer behaviour in worksite cafeterias towards meals with lower environmental impact.
The challenges involved in motivating people to purchase food based on its environmental credentials were further laid bare this week as Sodexo UK & Ireland published its second annual sustainable food barometer (on which we will have more detail next week). Although 68% of consumers surveyed by the catering company said they view sustainable food positively, just 4% cited environmental concerns as their primary consideration when buying food compared with 31% who prioritise affordability.
Such insights speak to the importance of policy and regulation in setting the UK on a path to a more sustainable future, rather than relying squarely on individuals to make better choices.
Yet impactful policy is tough to deliver as the UK Government is finding out where waste and resources are concerned. Take the long-awaited deposit return scheme (DRS) for drinks containers, which was originally due to come into effect this year but was delayed until October 2027 by the previous Conservative government.
The Grocer reported this week that the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has written to Defra secretary of state Steve Reed claiming that the revised start date is no longer feasible due to the impact of infrastructure costs on food price inflation, and calling for a further delay. It comes the week before MPs are set to debate whether to approve the legislation for DRS, which was laid before parliament in November.
In an altogether gloomy week for environmental news, this week’s other stories feature an assessment from the Office for Environmental Protection that England is set to miss its legal targets for nature; a Europe-wide investigation into the cost of cleaning up pollution from ‘forever chemicals’; and the discovery of the first case on a UK farm of weeds being resistant to the controversial herbicide glyphosate.
All purchases are a matter of choice; clearly influenced by a range of factors – cost, marketing, preferences, legislation etc, all of which can obviously work to limit that choice. But if personal choices do not favour environmental responsibility, then no Govt will act to influence otherwise because there is nothing to be gained politically. Only when costs of cleaning up (smoking) become prohibitive may they act – but if people want to smoke, they will do. Capturing that middle ground to promote a more holistic perspective – and presenting sustainable solutions – is something society has failed to do. Perhaps it doesn’t have to; whilst we can do our garden bird watch, buy cheap food and exist on-line forever chasing, everything is fine….