The Carbon Trust, an organization set up by the UK Government to accelerate the transition to a low carbon economy, recently published a report titled “The carbon emissions generated in all that we consume”. From there, a methodology has been developed to build the carbon footprint of different products by analyzing the carbon emissions generated by energy use across the supply chain. Now it is being included in food labels to show consumers how much CO2 has been used in the production and transportation to the shelves of the products they buy in the supermarket. This figure will include the CO2 released as a result of the refrigeration used to keep the food.

Euan Murray, Carbon Footprinting General Manager of the Carbon Trust said: "Having the carbon reduction label in the market enables us to test consumer understanding and refine how this information is communicated. The carbon footprinting of products and its communication via the label offers companies the opportunity tackle the indirect carbon emissions from products and help consumers understand the climate impacts of the purchasing decisions they make."

Since its launch, more than 150 companies have registered their interest in the Carbon Trust scheme across a wide variety of industries, reveals the organization’s press release. innocent drinks, for example, currently display the label for their mango and passionfruit smoothie on their website and are working with the Carbon Trust to provide information across their entire smoothie range.