THE production and distribution of food accounts for around a third of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. But as a consumer, it’s difficult to measure the climate impact of what you eat. An Irish startup called Evocco could soon make it much easier.

Users simply photograph their grocery receipt using the Evocco app, which identifies the food products by reading the printed text and using machine learning. It then calculates the carbon footprint based on the store’s location and by checking the type, weight and origin of a food against a database.

The database is maintained by Eaternity, a life cycle assessment company based in Switzerland. If the receipt doesn’t contain enough data on a product, Eaternity gives an estimate based on similar products and reference points such as national import and export statistics, which determine where a product is likely to have come from.

Currently only available in the United Kingdom and Ireland, the app gives users the option to offset their shopping by contributing to Go Carbon Neutral, an Irish not-for-profit initiative that plants native woodland.

John Beckett, founder of Go Carbon Neutral, says people must take personal responsibility for the climate crisis. “Apps like Evocco make it easier for people to engage with the challenge and take positive, meaningful action,” he says.

As well as the immediate impact of offsetting groceries, Evocco hopes to raise public awareness of the carbon footprint of different foods.

Some factors are well known. For instance, animal products are typically more resource intensive than most plant-based alternatives, and importing products increases their footprint, but the app also helps identify other important differences between items, such as seasonality or whether refrigeration was required on the journey to market. It also offers tips on how to reduce shopping emissions.

Evocco was founded in 2017 by Hugh Weldon and Ahmad Mu’azzam, soon after they finished studying mechanical engineering at Trinity College Dublin.

As well as the personal shopping app, the company is developing a digital tool to sell to food retailers, e-commerce platforms and delivery apps that will track the climate impact of a product’s journey through the supply chain.

The aim is to help retailers provide climate impact information directly to consumers, while also giving Evocco access to product data to improve its app.(SD-Agencies)