Carbon footprint assessment overview

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Assessment valid from

2023 - 2025

Methodology

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Carbon footprint assessment overview

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Assessment valid from

2023 - 2025

Methodology

food items
assessed

A-rated food items

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is working on

No items found.

This assessment has expired

food items
assessed

A-rated food items

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Foodsteps Methodology

The Foodsteps carbon label helps you understand the impact of your food choices.

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In the same way that there is guidance for how many calories, salt and fat we should eat in a day, the same has been calculated for carbon. This carbon budget is measured in kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilo (kg CO₂e/kg) or more simply, carbon intensity. The Foodsteps rating system is based on this carbon budget and we've outlined below how the A to E ratings can support more sustainable diet choices.

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These rating boundaries are set within the context of the commitment to meet the Paris Agreement pledge - keeping global warming to well below 2°C, aiming for 1.5°C. It includes an A-E Carbon Rating, where A is “Very Low” and E is “Very High.

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Eating A-rated items will help you to stay within the EAT-Lancet 2050 global carbon budget for food, established in 2019 to help achieve healthy diets and sustainable food production.

Who are Foodsteps?

Foodsteps are a UK based start-up that helps food businesses and consumers to understand the environmental impact of their food.

Find out more

How does Foodsteps measure impact?

Our impact assessments are from cradle-to-grave. This means that they include the impact of all life cycle stages of the process of producing and consuming food - farm, processing, packaging, transport, retail, end-mile, cooking and food waste.

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At Foodsteps, we use the best data wherever it is available. When data is not available, we use our own models to estimate the impact of some stages.

What are the different life cycle stages, and what do they mean?

There are many different stages within a food item’s life cycle that must be accounted for as emissions sources. We’ve curated an easy to understand list of key terms below.

Farm

Emissions arising from land use change (burning and carbon stock), farming, feed, and on-farm processing.

Processing

Emissions arising from the processing and storage of ingredients.

Packaging

Emissions arising from raw material acquisition, pre-processing, manufacture of packaging, transport to product systems, and end-of-life after disposal.

Transport

Emissions arising from the transport of ingredients between various stages in the life cycle.

Retail

Emissions arising from retail operations, including the impacts of any chilling at retail and apportioned impacts of the retail facility, such as lighting and air conditioning.

End-Mile

Emissions arising from transporting food items from their retail location to where they are consumed. This does not include the transport of the consumer to the retail location.

Cooking

Emissions that arise from food preparation, such as appliance usage.

Food Waste

Emissions arise from product disposal throughout the life cycle by anaerobic digestion, composting, incineration, sewer disposal, and landfilling. This also includes emissions from the production of food lost throughout the supply chain.

Our Data Partners

We work in collaboration with leading organisations to improve and standardise food environmental impact data.

FAQs

What standards does Foodsteps align to?

We adhere to the ISO 14040 standard, and are aligned to the GHG Protocol Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard.

What is a carbon footprint?

Carbon footprint is a measurement of the greenhouse gas emissions released during a product’s life cycle. It is measured in “kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents (kg CO2e)”, to incorporate the relative impact of all types of greenhouse gases.

What is carbon intensity?

Carbon intensity is a measurement of the carbon footprint per kilogram of food (kg CO2e / kg of food). This measurement allows for a fair comparison between products of different serving sizes.

What are the label boundaries based on?

Rating

Boundary

Description

Below 1.81 kg CO₂e/kg

A-rated recipes are also referred to as ‘Very Low’ carbon impact and have the lowest impact on the planet. These recipes align to the planetary boundaries required to feed the planet sustainably by 2050.

From 1.81 to 2.90 kg CO₂e/kg

B-rated recipes are also referred to as ‘Low’ carbon impact. Although these recipes are on the pathway to staying within the planetary boundaries, diets with B-rated recipes will ultimately surpass them.

From 2.90 to 4.63 kg CO₂e/kg

C-rated recipes are also referred to as ‘Medium’ and although they are below the average carbon intensity in our diets today, continuing to eat diets with our current average carbon intensity will mean we surpass the planetary boundaries required.

From 4.63 to 7.50 kg CO₂e/kg

D-rated recipes are also referred to as ‘High’ and are above the average carbon intensity in our diets. A diet consisting of D-rated recipes will mean we surpass the planetary boundaries required.

From 7.50 kg CO₂e/kg

E-rated recipes are also referred to as ‘Very High’ and have the highest carbon impact and highest impact on the planet. They are substantially above the average carbon intensity in our diets and a diet consisting of E-rated recipes will mean we significantly surpass the planetary boundaries required.

What do the labels not tell me?

Carbon footprint scores cannot capture the full scope of food sustainability. Other environmental impacts like land use, water use and pollution are also important, as are social impacts such as fair pay and food security.

However, carbon footprint scores can still provide important insights into one of humanity's biggest challenges.