Photo: clayirving, Flickr.
Taking steps to suppress global warming, new food labels on restaurant menus and grocery products in Sweden indicate the carbon dioxide emissions involved in the food's creation, from fast-food burgers to fresh produce, the New York Times reports. Similar to the nutritional information listed on packaging, the carbon footprint of a product is listed as follows: "Climate declared: ___ kg CO2 per kg of product."
A 2005 national study in Sweden -- leaders in the quest to reduce one's carbon footprint -- determined that 25 percent of the country's carbon emissions was traced to food production and eating, according to the Times. Experts believe that strictly abiding by these new guidelines could reduce their culinary carbon footprint by as much as 25 to 50 percent.
For those already struggling with the health ramifications of nutritional information, the additional factor of climate consideration may appear daunting -- especially when there are revealed to be different, convoluted facets of eating local. How many people can assuredly differentiate produce that can be grown outdoors versus those that necessitate the extra energy of heated greenhouses?
Made public last summer, dietary suggestions advise Swedes to account for the greenhouse gas emissions associated with a variety of foods as well as the global availability of certain produce, the paper said.. For example, fish is cautioned for consumption due to the deficiency of its stock in Europe, chicken is preferable over red meat due to lower greenhouse gas emissions needed to grow poultry, vegetables that can be grown outdoors -- like carrots -- are encouraged over produce requiring the use of heated greenhouses, like tomatoes or cucumbers.
And that's not all -- the emissions impacts of fresh produce vary even further, depending on everything from the location and practices of heterogeneous farms to the soil they're grown in -- factors virtually alien to the average consumer.
People may think considering environmental guidelines for food to be extreme, but the Nutrition Department at the Swedish National Food Administration -- tasked with creating the new eating guidelines that consider climate as much as nutritional information -- argues that it's a move that's equally important as switching to hybrid cars or energy-efficient washing machines.
[Via New York Times]
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