Japan releases guidelines for calculating carbon footprint in processed foods

Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries has released a draft guide for calculating the carbon footprint (CFP) of processed foods, part of the government’s effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the food industry.

Japan’s food sector are under pressure to reduce their carbon footprint amid growing concerns about climate change and its effect on food production. The country faces an annual food loss of 4.72 million tons (as of 2022), the new guidelines aims to standardize how companies measure their environmental impact, making a step toward decarbonizing the food supply chain.

The ministry’s draft guide provides a comprehensive framework for calculating the CFP of processed foods. The calculation covers the entire life cycle of a product, from raw material procurement to waste disposal and recycling, including all elements inseparable from the product at the time of sale. The scope of the guide includes staples such as milk and edible oils, and companies like AEON Co., Ltd., Seven & i Holdings Co., Ltd., and Meiji Holdings Co., Ltd. have already begun using the guide to assess their products.

The ministry launched a verification phase earlier this year, which revealed that while the guide was effective, certain issues remain unresolved. To address these, the ministry conducted further tests from January to March 2024. “Reducing the environmental impact of the food industry is no longer an option, but a necessity,” the ministry said in their statement.

The draft guide aligns with Japan’s “Green Food System Strategy,” a nationwide initiative focused on creating a more sustainable food system. The government’s “Public-Private Roundtable for Sustainable Food Production and Consumption” created a working group to make greenhouse gas emissions across the food supply chain more transparent. The consensus from this working group highlighted the importance of establishing common rules for calculating the CFP in processed foods to ensure reliability and feasibility across the sector.

Participating companies have lauded the government’s efforts to create a uniform standard for measuring carbon emissions, although some have noted challenges in aligning the guidelines with existing processes. The final version of the guide is expected to address these issues and provide a robust framework that companies can rely on to meet their sustainability goals.