Foodsteps Sustainability Labels

**Project background and outline** -- Food plays a major role in the UK's impact on the environment, with current food consumption patterns estimated to contribute 19-29% of global greenhouse gas emissions. However, there is currently no simple and transparent way for food providers to measure and communicate their carbon footprint in the UK. Similarly, consumers are hungry for reliable information on the carbon footprint of the food they purchase, with the availability of such information lagging behind advances in the data. Foodsteps is building upon our cutting-edge research undertaken at the University of Cambridge to streamline food-specific carbon footprint services into a single online tool. We will be providing leading data on the carbon footprint of food, which climate-conscious food providers can use to communicate with consumers via carbon footprint labels.

Our project involves the development of a brand-new food environmental impacts platform -- the **Foodsteps Platform** -- which allows food providers to calculate and track the carbon footprint (as well as land use, water use and pollution impacts) of their food. The platform then allows food providers automatic access to the Foodsteps Carbon Footprint Label, which they can display on or next to their food products. The Foodsteps Carbon Labels are printed with a QR code, which links to FoodStory -- a unique webpage for each food product where food providers can provide transparent information on the "source", "transportation", "packaging" and "waste" of the products. FoodStory also contains detailed information about the environmental impact calculation for each product, giving all the necessary transparency for consumers to understand how such impacts were assessed. All the information on FoodStory is reviewed and verified by Foodsteps, giving customers confidence in the supply-chain transparency and impact labels. The platform will be based upon our successfully trialled methodology, with label trials going ahead at one of the UK's leading universities during development.