Just Eat trials carbon labelling
The food delivery platform is working with five restaurant partners in Brighton for the next 12 weeks to display a ‘traffic light’ carbon rating next to main meals. The ratings take into account the farming, production, transport and packaging of the dishes.
Participating restaurants will display a carbon label rated from A (Very Low carbon impact) to E (Very High carbon impact) by incorporating a traffic light colour system on their Just Eat page, meaning consumers will be able to better understand the carbon impact when choosing a meal on the app or web.
The trial is initially with Brighton restaurants including Smoque Burger, No Catch, Brewdog, Fat Pizza and Fat Burgers and Desserts. Fat Pizza and Fat Burgers and Desserts are expanding the trial to more than 40 stores nationwide on the Just Eat platform.
“We are committed to building a more sustainable future for the food delivery industry,” says Jaz Rabadia, head of responsible business and sustainability at Just Eat Takeaway.com. “This trial, with the support of our restaurant partners, aims to empower and educate our consumers on the impact food choices can have on our planet.”
Promoting sustainable options
Just Eat estimates that 80% of the wider marketplace carbon footprint is generated by food and food production. The trial aims to address this by helping consumers better understand the environmental impact of their food choices and by supporting restaurant partners in offering more sustainable options, it says.
“More and more of our customers are becoming aware of the environmental impact of the food industry, with many looking to make more climate conscious food choices,” says Sepand Sarmadi, owner of Smoque Burger. “We’re really pleased to be involved in this project to learn more about the carbon impact of our food and gain insights into customer preferences.”
The delivery platform is working with My Emissions, which provides food carbon calculations and labelling. As part of the trial, participating partners, representing a variety of cuisine types, are working with My Emissions to calculate the carbon footprint of their menu items. They have also received insights and tips on how they can reduce their carbon footprint.
The results of the trial will help Just Eat assess how the initiative could be scaled more widely.
“Food is one of the best ways we can reduce our carbon footprint. Just Eat are the ideal partners to test the impact of our carbon labelling, and I can’t wait to see how this impacts people’s food choices on the app,” says Matthew Isaacs, My Emissions co-founder.
