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Enviro-scores – which measure the environmental impact of food production – could be the latest trend in product labeling, Dr. David Hughes, an international speaker on food and drink industry issues, predicted during Connecting the Dots with Dr. Food!
“What we’re seeing – and it’s happening right now – is the evolution of an enviro-score,” he explained, noting that he believes a sustainability rating system could become commonplace on food and beverage products in Europe within two to three years.
“In part, it’s just a measure of its carbon impact, but it will also be a measure of is the packaging completely recyclable, how was it delivered, etc.”
Consumers, led by Gen Z and millennials, are becoming increasingly thoughtful about what they consume. This means that values like sustainability now play a larger role in purchasing decisions and could continue to impact product sales going forward.
“I think this is more likely to be driven by the market than by regulators, but the regulators are on the same train,” Hughes said.
Enviro-scores use a traffic lights color coding system to denote the sustainability of a product, ranging from green (low environmental impact) to red (a very high impact).
The label on a bottle of Oatly includes information explaining how much carbon dioxide is emitted during the production and transportation of the oat milk product to retail stores. Meat alternative company Quorn highlights third-party carbon footprint data on selected product labels.
Retail and foodservice companies have also begun testing enviro-scores on product labels. In October 2020, fast casual chain Panera began labeling climate-friendly menu items according to their Cool Food Meals program. European grocer Lidl introduced a front-of-pack Eco-Score food label for their private label product line in January 2021.
“I think every food processor has to look at his or product and say ‘is the enviro-score going to help me or is it going to harm me?’” he said, “because it certainly could be either.”
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“What we’re seeing – and it’s happening right now – is the evolution of an enviro-score,” he explained, noting that he believes a sustainability rating system could become commonplace on food and beverage products in Europe within two to three years.
“In part, it’s just a measure of its carbon impact, but it will also be a measure of is the packaging completely recyclable, how was it delivered, etc.”
Consumers, led by Gen Z and millennials, are becoming increasingly thoughtful about what they consume. This means that values like sustainability now play a larger role in purchasing decisions and could continue to impact product sales going forward.
“I think this is more likely to be driven by the market than by regulators, but the regulators are on the same train,” Hughes said.
Enviro-scores use a traffic lights color coding system to denote the sustainability of a product, ranging from green (low environmental impact) to red (a very high impact).
Where it's already in use
Some food and beverage companies already use some form of sustainability rating system on product labels.The label on a bottle of Oatly includes information explaining how much carbon dioxide is emitted during the production and transportation of the oat milk product to retail stores. Meat alternative company Quorn highlights third-party carbon footprint data on selected product labels.
Retail and foodservice companies have also begun testing enviro-scores on product labels. In October 2020, fast casual chain Panera began labeling climate-friendly menu items according to their Cool Food Meals program. European grocer Lidl introduced a front-of-pack Eco-Score food label for their private label product line in January 2021.
“I think every food processor has to look at his or product and say ‘is the enviro-score going to help me or is it going to harm me?’” he said, “because it certainly could be either.”
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