Fast food and climate change: ‘high impact’ labels could steer diners away from beef and towards greener alternatives, study finds
- Nearly two-thirds of people who saw beef options labelled ‘high climate impact’ on menus chose more sustainable options such as vegetarian, chicken or fish
- With more information, people could make better choices both in terms of healthiness and sustainability, a climate expert says
Climate labels on fast-food menus can help steer people away from ordering beef – the food with the worst impact on the climate – and towards meals that are better for the planet, according to new research.
Food systems contribute roughly a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, and much of it comes from raising cows and other livestock.
As people look for climate solutions to rapidly cut down their greenhouse gas emissions, “one of the biggest changes we can make is reducing the red meat we consume”, says Julia Wolfson, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a former fine-dining chef, and one of the researchers behind the new study.
In search of ways to shift consumer behaviour, Wolfson and colleagues at Johns Hopkins, Harvard University and the University of Michigan created an experiment to test two types of climate labels on fast-food menus.
The researchers specifically targeted fast food because it’s a major source of beef consumption in the US. More than one-third of Americans consume fast food on a given day.
