Think of a carbon label like a nutrition label, but instead of calories it tells you how much carbon was emitted to produce your food. My Emissions has developed a simple, easy-to-understand carbon label so you can make smarter, low-carbon choices.
This article tells you everything you need to know about the My Emissions food carbon label.
What Is A Food Carbon Label?
A carbon label shows how climate-friendly (or not) a food product or meal is. Every food item, from a beef burger to a lentil salad, has a carbon footprint: the total greenhouse gas emissions generated to grow, produce, and get it to your plate. We calculate that footprint and turn it into a clear A–E rating, so anyone can understand it at a glance.
Carbon labels are useful in two ways:
For food businesses: Chefs, recipe developers and procurement teams use the carbon ratings to identify the highest-impact ingredients and dishes, build lower-carbon menus and recipes, and demonstrate their sustainability credentials to customers.
For customers: A simple rating next to a dish or product allows you to understand which options have a low or high carbon footprint, allowing you to make more informed food choices without needing to understand the science.
Colour Coded A – E Ratings.
Currently there is no standard for carbon labels in the UK, EU or globally. My Emissions has therefore developed an independent carbon rating system that uses colour-coded A–E ratings, very similar to energy ratings on appliances or traffic light labels on food packaging.
The My Emissions carbon label rates a product or meal from A (Very Low) to E (Very High), based on the ‘per kg’ carbon footprint of the food.
Foods rated A are within the daily carbon budget recommended by the EAT-Lancet Commission, a global group of scientists who study how to feed the world sustainably. If you regularly choose A-rated foods, your food choices are on track for a healthier planet.
C rated foods represent the average emissions from food today, so even nudging your menu from C to B makes a meaningful difference.
Our ratings are grounded in the latest data from the EAT-Lancet Commission and our methodology has been independently audited, so you can trust the numbers behind every label.
What Emissions Are Included?
Our carbon labels cover all emissions from farm to store, everything it takes to grow, raise, process, and transport a food before it reaches a restaurant or retailer. This is called the “system boundary”: the point at which our measurement starts and stops.
In practice, this means we account for things like:
- The emissions from raising livestock or growing crops, which is where the majority of emissions are based.
- The energy used in processing and manufacturing.
- The transport of ingredients and finished products to their destination.
This approach is aligned with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Product Standard, the leading global framework for carbon accounting. All customers use the same methodology, ensuring our labels are consistent, credible, and comparable across different foods and businesses.
Will We See More Carbon Labels In The Future?
Carbon labelling for food is still voluntary in the UK, but that’s changing. There is growing momentum from government, retailers, and consumers to make carbon information on food standard practice, much like nutritional information is today.
My Emissions is actively involved in shaping what that future looks like. We are a member of Defra’s LED4Food group: a government-led initiative bringing together food businesses, retailers, and experts to develop a consistent approach to carbon labelling across the UK food industry.
We believe the thresholds for a carbon label should ultimately be set by government, and we’re working with DEFRA, WRAP, and other agencies globally to help make that happen. Getting involved now means food businesses will be ahead of the curve when standards are formalised.
See It In Action: Book A Demo
Want to add carbon labels to your menu or products? With My Emissions it’s simpler and faster than you might think!
Book a demo to see how the My Emissions platform works. We’ll show you how our AI-powered tools generate carbon ratings in minutes, and how to use the platform to both reduce emissions and display carbon labels on your menus.
Or explore for free: sign up today and get a 7 day fere trial to My Emissions, allowing you to test our platform for food carbon labels. No commitment needed.
