Denmark Considers Labeling Food According to Climate Change Impact

Denmark has proposed plans to label food according to its impact on climate change and the environment. Danish officials proposed making it mandatory for supermarkets and manufacturers to use labels that rate food products’ impact on the environment. This is only one of the 38 initiatives in Denmark’s climate and air proposal. Through this proposal, Denmark envisions that it will have zero negative climate impact in the future. The Danish Agriculture and Food Council (DAFC), an organization representing the country’s food and farming industries, is backing this initiative. DAFC director Morten Høyer emphasized that consumers should know a product’s environmental impact and nutritional value and that one must not be overlooked because of the other. However, Høyer admitted that determining the environmental footprint of the food products will be difficult. This is because it will require looking at several aspects like distribution, greenhouse gas emissions, pesticide usage, water usage, and even packaging. Denmark shared its food labeling plans after the United Nations’ report on how severe greenhouse gas emissions have become. The report gave a warning that the world only has approximately 12 years to prevent a climate disaster from happening. Aside from labeling food, other initiatives in Denmark's climate and air proposal include greener transportation and shipping, greener housing, and more efficient agricultural strategies. Denmark aspires to remain a world leader in environmental initiatives. The country also hopes that by creating new climate standards, other countries can be encouraged to follow Denmark’s lead.