Panera Bread is adding carbon footprint scores on menus.
Here, experts sound off on if the inclusion truly makes a difference.
Heres what to know about the new system.
But things quickly get complicatedwhich is why Vennard says the scores arent perfect.
(Instead, food items are given a regional score to account for transportation greenhouse gas emissions.)
So thats what the calculations focus on.
Daniel Vennard is the director and founder of the Better Buying Lab and Cool Food Pledge at the World Resources Institute.
WRI calculatedwhat this threshold should be for each meal of the day.
For breakfast, this is 3.59 kg CO2e/portion, and for lunch or dinner its 5.38kg CO2e/portion.
And its not meant to be just a Panera Thing.
Both Burnett and Vennard hope other restaurants start using them, too.
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I certainly dont see any negatives to adding the scores to menus, Gaan tells me.
Still, he wonders how much it will actually change consumers food choices.
The second is health, and then environmental concerns or animal welfare concerns are what people think about next.
But he also points out thatmany of the same foods that are sustainable are also nutrient-rich.
Daniel Vennard is the director and founder of the Better Buying Lab and Cool Food Pledge at the World Resources Institute.
And at the same time, theres growing evidence showing thata plant-based lifestyle has many nutritional benefits.
Timlin, for her part, is into the inclusion on menus.
Its impactful, she says.
Will other restaurants follow in Paneras footsteps?
While were definitely not there yet, a few other restaurant chains are joining the conversation.
(Heres a Tiktok of Bill Nye the Science Guy explaining how it works.)
Including carbon footprints on menus certainly isnt something thats mainstream yet.
Consumers need to signal to brands that theywantlow carbon alternatives, Timlin says.
Its progress that can start with a single stepand a single score.
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