Status of European food ecolabels based on life cycle assessment: methodological challenges toward convergence

Ecolabels play a crucial role in achieving responsible production and consumption. Current LCA-based food ecolabels suffer from inconsistent methodologies, leading to significant variability in the estimated sustainability performance for the same product. To address the methodological challenges, we investigated 31 food ecolabels based on LCA from the EU countries, Norway, the UK, and Switzerland. Data were collected through questionnaires and systematically analysed. The analysis revealed significant heterogeneity in the methodologies behind the different food ecolabels, with variations in functional units, system boundaries, impact categories assessed, etc. Ecolabels exhibited a wide range of label formats regarding gradation type, score/value type, and impact category aggregation type, showcasing diverse approaches to communicating sustainability performance. The Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) and some PEF Category Rules (PEFCRs) are available for the LCA methodology used for the calculation, even though they need to be further tailored. However, no standards or guidelines are available for guiding the communication of LCA results with consumers in term of label formats at the EU level. Finally, the identified methodological challenges were discussed, emphasising the need for regulatory standards to address the diversity in ecolabeling practices and to guide the development of a more uniform and transparent framework for food ecolabels.