This news comes from FCRN mailing list members in Sweden:   The Swedish Climate Certification for Food initiative is now up and running.  The scheme was initiateed  in 2007 by KRAV and Swedish Seal (Svenskt Sigill) in order to develop a climate certification for the food chain. Currently, the project is managed in cooperation with several major Swedish food companies: Milko, Lantmännen, the Federation of Swedish Farmers, Scan and Skånemejerier.  

This report was commissioned by Pulse Canada (pulses as in peas and beans) and written by FCRN member, Chris Anstey, formerly of Tesco.  

The International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) has produced a document entitled: Climate Change: Farmers’ Solutions - Proposals for including agriculture in a post-Copenhagen agreement.

This briefing by the European Environment Agency outlines the merits and examines some of the environmental demerits of increasing biomass use. The paper concludes that there is sufficient biomass potential in the EU-25 to support ambitious renewable energy targets in an environmentally responsible way but that achieving these gains and minimising the potential environmental downsides of bioenergy production requires careful planning from EU to local level. The report does not specifically address the socio-economic or policy aspects of the issue.

WWF has released its Livewell report, that looks at whether it is possible to eat a diet that is both lower in GHG emissions and more nutritionally balanced than current dietary norms in the UK.

This workshop was organised by the Food Climate Research Network and supported by Defra and the Committee on Climate Change on 21 January 2010. The workshop participants explored the role that soil carbon sequestration approaches can play in reducing agricultural emissions, the potential downsides and trade offs with other environmental concerns, and the gaps in our knowledge that need to be filled. 

This powerpoint presentation sets out what we know about food and its contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, the options for emissions reduction, what is being done to tackle the problem, and the work of the FCRN.