How to Empower Consumer Choice - An Overview

Recently attended the Global Food Safety Initiative and Institut du commerce webinar on sustainability and consumer labeling. The goal of this webinar was to empower people to lead healthier lives while creating shared value or business communities.

Some key point below:

·        Consumers underestimate the environmental impact of their food habits.

·        2 in 3 consumers are open to changing their eating habits for the environment

·        Price, lack of knowledge and unclear information limit choice of sustainable options/main barrier

Europe is leading the charge with their new Green Deal or 2022 stating that healthy, sustainable ofod must become more available and affordable through an adequate mix of incentives and stricter regulations

·        The focus is on eco-toxicity, packaging, single use plastics, carbon storage in soils and local biodiversity

As consumers we are beginning to see how single use plastics effect the environment. Run off/waste/bycatch are all changing eco-systems and furthermore can disrupt biodiversity within our food, changing the nutrient value, and ability to reproduce efficiently.

Framework of environmental labeling:

-         “provide a clear and transparent picture of the environmental impact of a product”

-         Empower consumers to make informed and more sustainable food choices

-         Incentivize food eco design

The European Green Deal outlines these benefits, which I will also expand upon:

·        fresh air, clean water, healthy soil and bio diversity

-         These are all common practices, but how common are they? With a world that has supply chains ravaged by COVID it is easy for companies to focus on running a profitable business, while not focusing on environmental impacts

·        Renovated, energy efficient buildings

-         Being able to re-use water, and develop byproduct into profitable products are ways for businesses to support themselves, as well as surrounding ecological environments

·        Cleaner energy/longer lasting products that can be repaired and recycled

·        HEALTHY AND AFFORDABLE FOOD

Findings show that 79% of European consumers are looking to help the environment, but they need guidance. This guidance has been outlined and will be put into place on packaging:

-         Products will begin to have a “rating”

-         Rating will be based off of CO2 emissions, water use, land use, pollution and biodiversity

Consumers will then be able to see directly on their packaging exactly what environmental impact they can make based off the scoring metric. This can/should lead to a more educated consumer, and the feeling of helping the environment while completing necessary daily tasks.

The rating system also leads way for manufacturers to have truth in practice, and to focus on new interventions that will lead to consumers making better choices.

The framework for the plan is an excellent jumping off point in feeding and changing the world at the base level. We as food industry professionals MUST continue to make changes, find new technologies and think about the bigger footprint that is being left. Above all we can help lead individuals to healthier lifestyles and still have tasteful, available and affordable products.