Carbon Footprint stamped on foods in addition to calories, etc, would it change how you shop?

[TiramisuTartsandPiesInOrbit]

Walkers crisps is now starting to add info about the carbon foot print made to make the crisps. If this cathces on, maybe soon all goods will have this mark, so on top of reading how much fat, how many calories, you will see the carbon footprint of the item. So, you can say, Oh Walkers crisp is 75 for example, but Sainsbury own brand is only 25, and chose the lower one, to make manufacturers change production proceseses, etc.

What do you think about this?

Calculating Walkers Crisps Carbon Footprint

my inital reaction is 'oh bloody hell something else I have got to consider, decide and take the fucking responsibitly for.'

an walkers deal with it for me?

becaue I have switched to paper free billing BT is going to plan a tree or some such PR nonsense.

That was my initial reaction too, shopping will take for ever if I have to read up on that too now.

And what about strawberries? First they are flying strawberries out to Poland to be packaged, and then back to England again to the distribution centre, and then driven out to the various supermarkets.

Should we make a conscious choice to buy fruit and veg that is in season only, and from our local farmers markets, in order to reduce carbon footprints?

How do you weigh one environmental wrong up against the other?

I think it is important to encourage people to think about the impact of the things they buy.
BUT I know personally, I already turn myself inside-out when shopping, checking ingredients, and salt content etc etc.
This will make my shopping take even longer and turn me into a seething, bubbling mass of pure guilt! And mothers already seem to have guilt running through them like sticks of rock....

I am still trying to find the PC answer to this dilemma:

We have a fab farmers market here - the food is cheaper than the supermarkets and I have used it since the moment it opened. I am now an expert on what is/isn't in season as a result... I actively check where my fruit & veg comes from before buying, and who rears the beef I buy, and so on.

But what should I do when it comes to a choice between supporting fair trade and carbon footprint? Should I buy those green beans from Kenya and support their economy, or should I buy only what grows in my local fields? And should I ban Fairtrade Bananas and Mangoes on account of their airmiles?

I know this sounds like some kind of lentil-weaver joke but it is something I wonder about every time I go to tesco's...

I would like opinions on this:-

Packets of crisps have been banned at my son's school. The following has been copied verbatim from their newsletter:-

"they DO NOT DECOMPOSE for a very long time (1000's years?). Thus we are saying "NO" to any crisp or similar high salt and fat content snack for the health reasons and the packets for the sustainable planet reasons. Thank you"

that is interesting, but how long does it take for the plastic bag cereals come in to decompose? And why do we need both plastic and a cardboard box?

And Squiffy, I am somewhat relieved to hear I am not the only one to agonize till my brain hurts over things like this.

Fair Trade farmers are dependent on selling their produce to other countries. We also need to cut carbon emissions. So, how do we go about this?