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2009-12-09 13:50:00
The BBC's Tom Burridge dines out at a Swedish fast-food chain that is trying to
discourage people from eating too much meat by publishing the carbon footprint
of each item on its menu.
As soon as I am through the door of the brightly lit Max Burger restaurant in
central Stockholm, spokesman Par Larshans insists I eat not one, but two of
their fast-food snacks.
The first is a falafel burger. The second is a half beef/half soya burger.
They're tasty... but I'm a carnivore who is not planning to go vegetarian any
time soon.
I watch as burgers are assembled behind the counter by a line of workers and
wrapped at an incredible speed.
It's the illuminated menu, above their heads, that is the real reason for my
visit. Max Burger claims to be the first restaurant chain in the world to
publish CO2 emissions on its menu.
From the methane produced by the cows, to the machinery used on the farm,
through to the emissions produced by the abattoir and the lorries which move
the meat around - the weight of CO2 represents the carbon footprint of that
meal.
'Less-meat' products
Beef production emits high levels of carbon dioxide when compared to other
foods. So why on Earth does a restaurant chain that sells mainly beef want to
advertise how bad its products are for the planet?
Par Larshans insists they are not "shooting themselves in the foot" and is
quick to remind me of the "less-meat products" on the menu.
"We think you need to be honest with the customer. We hope to change the whole
of the fast-food industry by this," he said.
"We want people to eat less meat."
Max Burgers' carbon labels are getting them a lot of publicity, which no doubt
does them no harm.
They do however also seem to epitomise the country's enthusiasm for
environmental food labelling. A recent survey in Sweden found that 92% of
people wanted more information about the "green credentials" of the food they
were buying.
Simple benchmark
Customers seem generally positive.
"It's a very interesting concept," says one. "We have to start somewhere... I
think it will affect what people will order."
Another questions how accurate the figures are, but she likes the idea that you
can "see the impact of what you're eating, on the environment."
Her companion is also keen to find out his "energy consumption," as he puts it,
but then asks: "How much is a gram of CO2?"
This is one of the main problems for the increasing number of food
manufacturers who put a carbon footprint on their products.
The figures on the label do not mean a huge amount to most people.
This - and the fact that calculating carbon footprints is a complex and costly
process - is why two food organisations in Sweden are now working on a simpler
label which they hope people will find easier to understand.
The labels will be called climate labels - not carbon labels - and are designed
to set a simple environmental benchmark for food production in Sweden.
Any product reaching certain standards in terms of farming, production,
packaging and transportation will carry the new label.
The secret, according to Swedish author Jessica Cederberg Wodmar, who has
written a book on the subject, is coming up with a labelling system that is
easy to understand and credible.
"The problem is that no-one has come-up with a label that sets a standard that
everyone else wants to use," she said.
If the new Swedish labels are a success, however, she fully expects to see them
copied in other countries around the world.