Produce growers in Chile soon will have a tool to measure their carbon footprints, allowing them to satisfy consumer demand for the information and improve their production processes, according to Chilean newspaper La Tercera.

Some products carry a carbon footprint label along with nutrition information.

The Institute for Agricultural Research will unveil a web page the week of Dec. 20 that will allow growers to enter data to determine how much greenhouse gas is emitted during their production cycles, including shipping produce to foreign markets, the website said.

The institute conducted preliminary calculations for some of Chile’s main exports, including grapes, apricots, wine and milk.

The “carbon footprint calculator” is the result of consumers’ desire to know how the food the buy affects the environment. Supermarkets in the United Kingdom, for example, label some foods with their carbon footprints, allowing consumers to choose food according to their values, the newspaper reported.

The calculations won’t be official, and using the tool will be voluntary, but growers will get an idea of how to improve their production chain to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the report said.

Photo: Sydney Morning Herald

Source: www.freshfruitportal.com