Food labelling has been the norm for many years and most of us, at the very least, now glance at the labels on the food we purchase to ensure that the food we buy for ourselves and for our families meets certain standards. Imagine how surprise some Swedes were last week when they discovered they could also see how much carbon dioxide was emitted in the production of a particular foodstuff.  Curtailing global warming was finally in the hands (or rather the plates) of the ordinary man in the street! A matter of desperate times calling for desperate measure,

perhaps? “A dairy farm near Uppsala is among the Swedish companies now focusing on the carbon dioxide emitted in food production….if a new experiment here succeeds …. millions of …. Swedes will soon find out” about it. “New labels listing the carbon dioxide emissions associated with the production of foods, from whole wheat pasta to fast food burgers, are appearing on some grocery items and restaurant menus around the country. People who live to eat might dismiss this as silly. But changing one’s diet can be as effective in reducing emissions of climate-changing gases as changing the car one drives or doing away with the clothes dryer, scientific experts say. “We’re the first to do it, and it’s a new way of thinking for us,” said Ulf Bohman, head of the Nutrition Department at the Swedish National Food Administration, which was given the task last year of creating new food guidelines giving equal weight to climate and health. “We’re used to thinking about safety and nutrition as one thing and environmental as another.” Some of the proposed new dietary guidelines, released over the summer, may seem startling to the uninitiated. They recommend that Swedes favour carrots over cucumbers and tomatoes ….. (because) the latter two must be grown in heated greenhouses here, consuming energy.)” and they were not advised to eat more fish, notwithstanding the health benefits  ….because Europe’s stocks are depleted …..somewhat less surprisingly, they are advised to substitute beans or chicken for red meat, in view of the heavy greenhouse gas emissions associated with raising cattle!”  The New York Times, adapted & shortened.

Most of us we say that the Swedes have finally lost it but one wonders if it’s not rather a case of a planet that’s lost it?  Have we abused our planet to such an extent that we’re on the verge of losing it or are we going to come to our senses and do everything we can to ensure that our children don’t have to face a bleak and cruel future because of their parents’ selfishness and neglect. The Swedes are convinced that they could cut the emissions from their food production by up to 50%*  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all the countries on earth had the same attitude and tried as hard to save earth for all our children? To those of you that find it laughable, don’t – it’s precisely that attitude that could teach us all to live in peace and help end the misery of so many people – because we’ll care and without caring for other people we’re really very short sighted. Anybody that thinks the poisonous emissions in their part of the world won’t affect them and their children in the long term lives in a dream world – as do those that think that poverty and misery in another part of the world won’t affect their own country. Next time you switch on the news or read an article that ridicules the desperate pleas of the lobbyists for a greener earth, do have a look who they are and who pays their salaries. Always remember that the fast food companies are billion dollar organisations who probably work hand in hand with the big drug companies. In the spirit of a greener earth, we include our recipe for bean soup – please note tins will produce more emissions than ordinary dried beans and ideally, you should use dried beans.

REALLY QUICK BEAN SOUP

Ingredients

• 750 ml homemade chicken stock
• 2 tins cannellini beans
• 1 tin large white beans
• 1 tin chick peas
• 2 large onions, peeled and finely sliced
• 2 carrots, peeled and finely sliced
• 1 stick celery, finely sliced
• 2 large cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 5 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 tsp cumin seeds, lightly toasted and roughly chopped
• 1 tsp allspice berries
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 red chilli, finely sliced
• 1 orange, grated zest only
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 large pack broken spinach leaves, well washed and torn
• 1 handful fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 1 Parmesan rind – always save the end bits and use on occasions like these

Method

• Chop the onions, the celery, the chilli and the carrots and fry lightly in a little of the olive oil until the onions are translucent.
• Add the tomatoes, the Parmesan rind, the garlic, the cumin, the allspice berries and the bay leaf, followed by the various beans and then pour in just over half of the vegetable stock – enough to cover everything generously with as much in liquid above it – it’s soup, not bean stew.
• Now add the zest and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste – bring the soup to the boil and turn down to a simmer.
• Cook for about 30 minutes until you have a good substantial soup – if it’s too thick, add a little more stock and if it’s too thin, remove the lid and reduce the liquid on substantial heat – just remember that you’re going to add the spinach leaves at the end.
• Do not add potatoes or rice because it will become stodgy and the spinach will be a sloppy mess.
• In the last 5  minutes, add the spinach and the parsley check and correct the seasoning – be careful with the pepper because of the chilli and remember that you taste your food.
• Simmer until the leaves wilt and then drizzle generously with olive oil and serve with plenty of crusty bread.

*An estimated 25 percent of the emissions produced by people in industrialized nations can be traced to the food they eat, according to recent research here.