DIETS are usually all about what to eat - and what not to eat - but now researchers are asking us to look at them in a whole new light.

Academics at Lancaster University have teamed up with regional retailer Booths to try to reduce shoppers’ carbon footprints.

Dr Adrian Friday, from Lancaster University’s School of Computing and Communications, said: “All the food we buy has a carbon cost attached.

“Some foods have a greater carbon footprint than others, such as fruit flown over from South America, or vegetables grown out of season in hothouses.

“We are trying to encourage people to choose a lower carbon footprint diet.”

The aim of the collaborative project is to develop effective ways of encouraging people to consider the environmental impact of the food they put in their shopping baskets.

Over a period of several months, researchers will follow volunteers around the aisles of Booths stores, examining their snacking and take-away purchases, to gain a greater understanding of repeated food buying decisions.

Volunteers will use technology in the form of apps to help them keep a diary of what they buy.

Dr Friday added: “It’s about looking at repeated patterns of consumption over a sustained period and then thinking about how we can help people reflect on their repeated habits and the impact this is having on the environment.

“As people think about their diet from a nutritional point of view, we want them to also think about their carbon footprint.”

Food accounts for more than ten per cent of the UK’s carbon footprint. Edwin Booth, Chairman of Booths, said: “We believe retailers have a responsibility to signpost consumers to shop sustainably and encourage them to make the right choices.

“From the way we design our stores, plan marketing campaigns and train staff, and how we source and market products has a consequence.

“These issues have always been of the utmost importance to Booths and are priorities which we share with our loyal customers who choose Booths based on our unique sourcing policies and commitment to quality."

The project is being assisted by environmental experts Small World Consulting based at Lancaster University’s Environment Centre.

Mike Berners-Lee, Director of Small World Consulting, said: “This is a very interesting project to explore practical ways in which shoppers can be helped to understand more about the life that products have before the reach the shelves, and in particular their carbon emissions.

“It is about finding simple ways to help people to know enough about the food they buy to sustainable shopping possible.”

For more information visit www.lancaster.ac.uk