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Nearly three quarters of consumers want carbon labels on food products, according to new research by Newcastle Business School at Northumbria University.

The survey of 432 supermarket shoppers revealed that 72% would like to see carbon labels on food products.

The poll follows the publication of the government's Food 2030 strategy yesterday, which called for an overhaul of carbon labelling as well as nutritional and sell-by labels.

According to the research, almost three quarters of those surveyed said that clearer carbon labelling would help them think 'green'.

Newcastle Business School logistics and supply chain management researcher Zaina Gadema told Packaging News that there was a lot of confusion among consumers, who "simply don't understand what a carbon footprint actually communicates".

"Once the consumer has more information about carbon footprinting I'm sure they will be able to compare carbon footprints," Gadema added.

Of those surveyed, 63% thought carbon labels were a useful indicator for comparing environmental standards, but 76% still prioritised quality and taste.

Gadema believes that the voluntary nature of carbon labelling is why it's so disparate.

"There are some companies that are doing it and some that aren't," she said. "I think that's an issue because you can take it or leave it."

Gadema's research was supervised by David Oglethorpe, professor of logistics and supply chain management at Newcastle Business School at Northumbria University.

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