Tesco are to start printing the carbon footprint of their milk on the label, calling it an awareness raising measure. Since carbon footprint has traditionally been one of the least well-understood responsible issues among consumers, it’s tempting to uncritically accept ideas like this as a good thing.

On the other hand, perhaps we should consider how consumers actually react to responsible cues on food labels. Our research indicates that even consumers who are responsibly motivated fail to act responsibly when they make food purchases. Consumers are already confronted with an array of responsible cues on food labels; organic, Marine Stewardship, Fairtrade, Freedom Food, recycled packaging, and so on, and so on. In most cases, these responsible cues do not form a conscious part of purchase deliberation. We know this, because our research specifically compared what people say they do with what they actually do.

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Tags:  responsible labelling sustainability tesco carbon-footprint