Redesigning Carbon Food Labels to Shift Consumer Choices Toward Climate-Friendly Foods

Purpose of research project *

With colleagues at Rotterdam School of Management (Erasmus University, Netherlands), I designed and tested a novel “item mapping” carbon food label that links greenhouse gas emissions to their food source (animal vs. plant). Five pre-registered experiments with 1,817 consumers across Australia, the US, and the Netherlands (2022–2024) demonstrated that our label reduces the knowledge gap in food carbon emissions and shifts choices toward plant-based options. The research was published in Appetite (Cadario, Li & Klesse, 2025).

Who has, is or will benefit *

The research generated direct industry engagement: Lenah Game Meats (Tasmania), a sustainable native protein company, reached out to explore how our labelling insights could support their positioning. Academically, the paper was cited in the Journal of Marketing (UTD24/FT50) within its first year (Bronnenberg et al., 2025). The research provides consumers, businesses, and policymakers with a scalable tool for food labelling reform. With 46% of Australian shoppers saying sustainability influences purchases, the label addresses a critical gap between intentions and action.

Description of impact *

The findings reached diverse public audiences through extensive media engagement. My article in The Conversation received 4,524 reads and was republished by MedicalXpress, the UK’s Geographical magazine, US-based one5c and Sustainable RDN, and featured in The Conversation’s Imagine newsletter (40,000+ subscribers). The research was also covered by Sky News Australia and ABC Radio, reaching national broadcast audiences.

Impact date	Feb 2025
Category of impact	Environment impacts, Society impacts
Impact level	Adoption (early)