Food industry's green efforts may hit price wall The European
food and drinks industry is finalising plans to measure its
environmental performance but increasingly price-aware consumers
might derail their efforts, the European Commission cautioned. A
European round table bringing together the food industry,
farmers and consumer groups has drawn up a series of 10 guiding
principles to assess the environmental impact of food and drink
products during their entire life cycle. The principles, agreed
on Tuesday (13 July), will guide the round table's future work
on developing a uniform and scientifically reliable methodology
for assessing the environmental impact of food and drink
products. It is also meant to serve as a communication tool for
companies wanting to boast their green credentials. The
methodology, which is expected to be finalised by 2011, will
address key sustainability challenges facing the food value
chain, including climate change, resource efficiency, water use
and waste reduction. Mike Faupel