Development and Evaluation of a Carbon Label for Meals at a University Restaurant

Abstract

Food related GHG emissions will most likely need to be reduced in order to reach internationally agreed climate targets. One of the measures under debate is carbon labeling of food products. Consumer reactions to such labels, however, are not yet well researched. A carbon label was therefore developed and tested in a real life experiment at a university restaurant. Data on the visitors´ consumption was collected on the level of the individual, during six weeks before and after label introduction. Consumption behavior of groups of different gender, age, dietary habit and frequency of visit was traced over time. However, factors other than product footprint information, in particular taste preferences, were found to dominate food choices. On average a reduction in emissions per serving by two percent was observed. However, a high standard deviation of 12% implies high uncertainties to the collected data, not allowing to draw definite conclusions on whether the label had an effect or not.