FOODWISE - A new climate impact database for foods in line with international guidelines, enabling wise decisions for sustainable production och consumption of foods

The link between climate impacts and food production is well established, and the need to change the way we produce and consume food is evident.

To make sustainable choices, it is necessary to have accurate information as a basis for decision-making, such as relevant and up-to-date climate footprints.

Since 2015, the RISE Food Climate Database has provided such a basis, but as new methodologies for assessing the climate impact of food products have been developed, the need for a new climate database in line with new international guidelines has also grown.The aim of this project is to develop a database model that provides food actors with generic climate footprints in line with national methodologies for the food sector and international directives and standards regarding forest, agriculture, and land use contributions.

To ensure that the result meets the needs of the end-users, the development will be done in close cooperation with food chain actors.We expect the FOODWISE database to have a high impact on climate reporting and climate target monitoring, and to be useful for decision-making throughout the food chain.

In the future, we expect FOODWISE to replace the current RISE database.

Applications also include using FOODWISE to steer towards menus and products with lower climate impact, as well as to guide customers to more climate-friendly choices when shopping. The long-term goal is to reduce the climate impact of production and consumption throughout the food chain.