Researchers from the University of Nottingham’s School of Psychology conducted an insightful study involving 168 UK participants, focusing on their perception of the environmental impact of their food choices.
The study employed a food categorization task, where participants classified a diverse array of supermarket products into environmentally impactful categories they created and labeled. This interactive approach allowed researchers to collect valuable data seamlessly.
Participants were presented with scientific estimates detailing the environmental impact of various products. Notably, they indicated their surprise regarding the perceived high or low impacts of these items.
The findings revealed that individuals evaluate the environmental impact of food primarily through two dimensions: animal versus plant origin and the degree of processing. Consequently, meat and dairy products, along with more highly processed foods, are seen as more detrimental to the environment.
Furthermore, the study highlighted a common misconception: people tended to overestimate the environmental impact of highly processed foods while underestimating the consequences of water-intensive products, such as nuts.
Participants were often taken aback by the significantly higher environmental impact of beef compared to other meats, like chicken, indicating a clear knowledge gap.
To address these misconceptions, researchers proposed that environmental impact labels, which assign a single overall grade (like A–E) to food products, could facilitate more informed consumer comparisons.
Daniel Fletcher, a postdoctoral researcher and lead author of the study, remarked: “We designed an online task to engage people with the topic and provide an interactive and visual way of investigating their understanding of the environmental impact of food.”
“We found participants would be willing to change their purchasing behavior based on this task, reporting intentions to adjust their future consumption of products for which they were surprised by how high (or low) the scientifically estimated environmental impact was.”
He added, “Our findings also suggest people may struggle to compare the environmental impact of animal-based products and highly processed foods because they see their effects as too different to weigh against each other.”
Co-author Professor Alexa Spence stated: “The environmental impact data on food products is opening up new avenues for this research, and this is the first study to assess this across a wide range of everyday products and examine people’s perceptions. What was clear from the study is that there are a lot of misconceptions around this, which really supports the need for environmental impact labeling. This would help people to be more informed to make sustainable food choices.”
The environmental impact of food is evaluated through a life cycle assessment, which encompasses the complete “cradle-to-grave” process, from raw material extraction to disposal. This assessment collects data on inputs (e.g., fertilizer, water, energy) and outputs (e.g., emissions, waste), gauging impacts across various categories such as greenhouse gas emissions (often measured as CO2 equivalents), land use, and water consumption.
Previous studies on this topic have focused on a narrow range of product types. However, this research, funded by the UKRI’s Smart Data Research UK, broadens this horizon.
