Quorn adds carbon footprint labels to food to highlight climate impact

‘This is about giving people the information needed to make informed decisions,’ says Quorn spokesperson

Quorn is to launch carbon footprint labelling on the majority of its products.

On Thursday 9 January, the meat alternative brand announced it had released carbon footprint data for 60 per cent of its range to notify consumers about the extent of their environmental impact when food shopping.

The “Farm to Shop” carbon footprint data, which has been certified by the Carbon Trust, has initially been launched solely on the Quorn website, providing relevant information for the company’s 30 top-selling products.

Later this year, this information will be rolled out onto the firm’s food packaging.

Food items in the Quorn range that will feature the carbon footprint labelling include Quorn Mince, Quorn Sausages and Quorn Fishless Fillets.

Quorn claims it is the first meat-free food manufacturer to introduce third-party carbon footprint information.

“For over 30 years, we have been proudly delivering healthy protein for a healthy planet,” a spokesperson for the company said.

“Quorn is proven to provide significant health and environmental benefits and today we’re delighted we can offer carbon footprint data to our customers, whom we know are actively trying to find ways to reduce their impact on the planet.”

The spokesperson explained the reasoning behind introducing carbon footprint labelling “is about giving people the information needed to make informed decisions about the food they eat and the effect it has on our planet – in the same way that nutrition information is clearly labelled to help inform decisions on health”.

They added that they are asking other food brands to “get on board” with their environmental initiative.

“Currently no RDAs [Recommended Dietary Allowances] exist for carbon emissions, but we hope that if other food brands follow suit, we will be able to make better comparisons in our shopping baskets,” the spokesperson stated.

Hugh Jones, managing director for the Carbon Trust, said the organisation is “very excited” to be working with Quorn “to certify their product carbon footprint data and help improve communication to its customers”.

“It’s really important that consumers have robust information to help inform their purchases and we’re pleased to be able to work with Quorn on this,” Mr Jones added.

According to research published by YouGov in April 2019, two thirds of consumers are supportive of the notion of introducing carbon labelling.

Furthermore, of the 9,000 participants polled across the UK, the US, Italy, Canada, Spain, the Netherlands and Sweden, 66 per cent said they feel more positively about companies when they make a visibly conscious effort to reduce the carbon footprint of their products.