Bill Jeffery, Centre for Health Science and Law and International Association of Consumer Food Organizations

Environmental Sustainability Labeling and the Climate Crisis: Where's the Beef?

Ambitious federal government plans to reduce national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 730 megatonnes in 2021 to below 443 by 2030 ignore cattle’s impact. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that food systems contribute 21%-37% of GHG emissions, rivalling the energy sector’s 35%. Much of food system GHGs come from cattle (and waste), yet food labelling’s contribution to environmental protection has been limited to “organic” and other voluntary claims by companies intent on promoting their products.
Scientific reports abound with concerns that voluntary labelling claims (some expressly authorized by governments and Codex) mislead and deceive even if they are narrowly truthful. Can Canadian governments mandate environmental-impact labelling that reveals the true impact of beef especially since Health Canada revealed its willingness to exempt even red meat and (and tropical oils) from providing high-saturated fat warnings? What harm will climate warming visit on the rest of the food supply?

Lauren Martin, Canadian Cattlemen's Association