Low Carbon Meals That Make a Difference

Coolfood is all about making it easy to fight climate change with your fork. By partnering with restaurants and food companies, we certify delicious, low-carbon meals that are better for the planet—and for you.

So...what does low carbon mean?

World Resources Institute (WRI) has created a daily carbon allowance for meals. This simple guide helps us all align our food choices with the 2030 Paris Agreement climate goals, making it easier to take climate action every single day. Every Low Carbon Certified Meal has emissions 38% lower than the average regional meal, ensuring it aligns with these allowances. 

Daily Carbon Allowance

Maximum Daily Carbon Emissions from Food per person in North America 19kg CO₂

See the Research

 

Only the best meals make the grade!  5 steps to become Coolfood certified.

  • 1. Companies submit ingredients and recipes.
  • 2. Coolfood provides detailed calculations on a per meal basis.
  • 3. If a meal’s carbon emissions are below the carbon allowances, then they are eligible.
  • 4. Meals are then run through the NutriScore calculator and only recipes in the A, B, C categories are accepted.
  • 5. Certified meals then get to display Coolfood’s Low Carbon certification mark.

We Measure Everything

Every ingredient in a Coolfood Certified meal has been assessed.

  1. Analysis of the agricultural supply chain of every ingredient.
  2. Analysis of the land use to produce the ingredients.
  3. Analysis of the consequences of converting land from its natural state to agriculture.

Through our assessment we provide a more complete picture of the impacts that our food choices have on the climate.

Green Low Carbon Meal Certification

Learn More

New “Cool Food Meals” Badge Hits Restaurant Menus Nationwide, Helping Consumers Act on Climate Change

The new “Cool Food Meals” badge identifies dishes with a lower carbon footprint, in line with what WRI research finds is needed by 2030 to meet the Paris Agreement on climate change. Now consumers can decide what to eat based on the climate impact of a dish.

Coolfood Certified Meals Technical Note

This technical note outlines the methods used by World Resources Institute (WRI) to identify a set of Coolfood Meals on a food provider’s menu.

The city of Milan at the forefront of driving change

Filippo Gavezzeni, Head of Milan Urban Food Policy Pact Secretariat, discusses the purchasing power of cities in shifting food culture and reducing emissions. So far they have achieved 42% reductions in their carbon footprint through their eco procurement strategies and are working to bring more cities along with them.