Environmental labelling for the UK food industry
03 December 2023IGD is working with stakeholders across the food industry to develop a consistent approach to environmental labelling for the UK.
There has been a proliferation of environmental labelling schemes in the UK and globally to inform consumers about the impact of food. Without a coordinated approach to environmental food labelling from the whole UK food sector, we risk confusing consumers and adding complexity and cost for businesses and supply chains.
IGD was approached by industry in 2021 and asked to help mobilise UK food businesses to develop a harmonised solution to environmental food labelling. We have two objectives:
To help consumers make more sustainable purchasing decisions by providing transparent information about the environmental impact of products.
To enable business decisions around supply chain efficiencies and sourcing by providing more transparent information about the environmental impact of supply chains.
This report sets out our latest evidence, recommendations and key considerations across three key areas:
Methodology and data - including results from our data stress-tests,
Consumer-facing label - including a recommended label design based on four phases of consumer research,
Governance - including scope of operational rules and governance structure to enable consistent environmental food labelling
Our draft technical methodology is also available below; this is a working document that will be updated as we continue to build evidence.
Our learnings will inform the UK Government’s planned consultation on ecolabelling in 2024, and IGD will continue the ongoing programme of work to enable consistent operation of environmental labelling in the UK. If you have any questions or feedback, please contact [email protected].