About three-quarters of Germans believe a climate label should be placed on food packaging. Such a label should clearly indicate whether and how the production of that food contributes to climate change.
Nearly two-thirds (56%) of Germans are even willing to adjust their consumption habits accordingly, with half of that group (31%) already certain of doing so.
This emerges from an opinion survey commissioned by the Swiss food company Nestlé, in collaboration with the German Allensbach Institute. Nestlé SA is a Swiss multinational food and beverage company. Since 2014, it has been the world's largest food company by revenue.
In March 2021, 2,511 citizens aged between 14 and 84 were surveyed online. Nestlé and the Allensbach Institute for Demoscopy in Frankfurt am Main presented the results of the study on Wednesday.
Both in Germany itself and in the European Union, there have been ongoing discussions about the (mandatory) introduction of some kind of climate label, but it is still unclear how or what exactly will be implemented. The recent COVID pandemic has increased the need to know ‘where our food comes from,’ say the opinion researchers. Consumers want more clarity about the climate impacts of food production.
People want products to be easy to label so they can make quick decisions, said Renate Köcher, director of the Allensbach Institute for Demoscopy, at the presentation of the research.
About three-quarters of those surveyed want to pay more for climate-friendly products, 17 percent even substantially more. In the case of meat, half say they would accept a significant price increase for climate protection reasons, while 31 percent would not.
The German parliament is currently considering whether a ‘‘environmentally friendly food industry’ should be subsidized from the (general) tax fund or from a new ‘meat tax.’