Carbon points on british food

The Government has taken the first step towards introducing carbon labelling for all products sold in shops.

Plans have been unveiled to design a "carbon
calculator" that could work out the quantity of greenhouse gases emitted
by everything from the production of a pack of tomatoes to a car.
 This would allow retailers eventually to
label their products with a "carbon point" score in the same way that
electrical appliances receive an energy score.

Some companies have tested a scheme, pioneered by the Carbon
Trust, but most consumers have been baffled by what the labels mean. By tying
up with the Government, the Carbon Trust hopes to win over more manufacturers
and retailers and develop a label that everyone – including consumers – is
happy to use.

The research will take about 18 months and focus on which
stages of the manufacturing process should be included in the calculation.