Shelf tags that indicate a food's sustainability

Consumers prefer more ‘sustainable’ products and will choose them providing the price is reasonable. But, apart from meat and seafood, they have no way of ascertaining how sustainable the product is.

However, in the US they can.

Twenty independent retailers have implemented the third-party HowGood rating system that tells customers just how sustainable or ‘how good’ a product is.

The HowGood rating system is centred on sustainability, freshness and local sourcing and so far 100,000 products have been rated. There are four rating levels - None, Good, Very Good and Great and each has a tag ranging from zero to three globes.

60 to 70 different factors such as pesticides, water usage, equal opportunity employer, cover the social and environmental impact of producing a particular product are used to establish the rating.

To establish the rating, 60 to 70 different factors cover the social and environmental impact of producing a particular product - such as pesticides, water usage, equal opportunity employer etc.