The University of Sussex is introducing carbon ratings on one of its menus to answer the call from one in five people for better information about the choices they are making.

When we asked our campus community about their views on catering at the end of 2022, most people were either concerned (40%) or very concerned (22%) about the environmental impact of the catering industry.

Asked "what would encourage you to eat more sustainable meals", more options when eating out was the most popular response, followed by better access to vegan and vegetarian recipes, and clear labelling "so I can understand the impact of my selection" – nearly 19% of respondents opted for this.

In addition, attendees at a workshop on reducing meat demand held by the Sustainability team as part of the consultation favoured a traffic light system as the best method to inform consumers.

Introducing the new traffic light labels

The first University-run eatery to introduce carbon labelling will be ACCA café, where the menu ranges from the Reuben beef focaccia and an all-day breakfast ciabatta to a roasted roots salad and vegan Rainbow Scotch Eggs made by Piglet's Pantry in Worthing.

The ratings have been developed in conjunction with Foodsteps, a national organisation that helps organisations to measure their environmental impact. The highest rating (A) reflects foods with a low impact; those rated D or E have a higher carbon footprint.

For example, while beef emits 60kg of CO2 equivalents for every kilogram of food, pea production generates just 1kg – and apples, nuts and root vegetables, like potatoes and carrots, each generate 0.43kg.

“We want to educate and inspire our customers and take them with us on this sustainable food journey,” says Mark Lawrence, contract director at our catering partners Sussex Uni Food.

"The introduction of carbon labelling will allow individuals to make an informed choice that can have a significant impact. The selections that people make will tell us what our campus community wants, so that we can offer more tasty low-carbon options in the future if that's what they choose."

A step forward on our journey to net zero

“We are pleased that the carbon labelling initiative has been introduced at Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts (ACCA café). Environmental sustainability is an issue close to our hearts,” says Laura McDermott, the centre’s Creative Director.

“I hope that this information can support people to make more mindful food choices on campus. There are many initiatives that have been spearheaded at ACCA café before being taken up more widely across campus – ethically sourced coffee beans, for example. Small changes can make a big difference when taken up by the campus community.”

Dr Matt Montgomery is the University’s new Head of Sustainability and he said it was crucial that the new system didn’t place any guilt on consumers for not making lower carbon choices.

“When my team held the session on ways to reduce meat demand in January 2023, not wanting to engender shame and guilt was a central focus of the feedback. This was clearly important to many of the students present and it was noted that traffic lights are a less judgemental way to present information, which is why we are proud to see this initial introduction and will be watching its impact closely.”

Read more about the labels and what they mean in this blog by Sandra Juan-Delgado, Sustainability Manager for Sussex Uni Food.

Tell us your views on carbon labelling by taking this short survey