U.S. Grocery Shoppers Have Their Eyes on the Price

Norwegian online grocer Oda has reportedly https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/oda-red-meat-carbon-footprint-b1995622.html seen a drop in sales of carbon-intensive products after introducing sustainability scores to its receipts. Each product is given a rating based on its carbon footprint, aiming to raise awareness among customers, who are responding well to the initiative, according Oda’s sustainability director Louise Fuchs. “Our customers told us that they find it close to impossible to know what is climate-friendly. We thought it was an important challenge to solve so we started looking for easy ways to communicate emissions,” she said.

Would a similar model be an option for the U.S. as well? According to findings from Statista’s Global Consumer Survey, it seems unlikely. A December 2021 survey among grocery shoppers found that U.S. consumers have their eyes on the price first, revealing that sustainability criteria (e.g. buying seasonal, regional, fairtrade) play a smaller role in the purchase decision.

Raising awareness of products' different carbon footprints could certainly be a first step towards creating more conscious shoppers, but for the millions of families just trying to make ends meet, price will always trump conscience.