Foodsteps, a platform for food businesses to accurately measure and communicate the environmental impact of their products and meals, has been acquired for an undisclosed sum by US compliance software firm Registrar Corp.
The platform – which holds a database of more than 3,000 ingredients, containing impact information on an each one’s carbon footprint, as well as pollution, water use, and land use impacts – is used by more than 150 food businesses globally, among them Compass Group, Albert Heijn, Ella’s Kitchen and Azzurri Group.
The acquisition of Foodsteps – which was launched in 2018 by Cambridge University graduate Anya Doherty – by Registrar Corp would give the platform access, it said, to a global market of 28,000 food companies in 190 countries.
“This acquisition represents a significant milestone not just for our team but also for the future of food sustainability,” Doherty said. “By combining Foodsteps’ software, data, and expertise in sustainable food with Registrar’s global leadership in regulation and compliance, we are poised to deliver the next generation of sustainability solutions that the food industry needs.”
“The acquisition comes as the food industry – a major contributor to emissions and biodiversity loss – faces accelerating global requirements and mounting pressure to demonstrate progress against near-term sustainability and decarbonisation targets,” she added.
To use the platform, companies upload products and recipes. Foodsteps then assesses their lifecycle emissions, and provides advice on how to improve sustainability. Foodsteps was one of the first to provide traffic light labels on a product’s footprint, including carbon and environmental impacts, such as pollution and land use.
Brands can display Foodsteps’ traffic light rating from A to E (A meaning low environmental impact, E meaning high) on menus and labels, along with a QR code consumers can scan to learn about a product’s sustainability.
The Foodsteps office will remain in the UK. “We are staying as an independent brand and company – we’re keeping our team, our brand and mission,” Doherty told The Grocer.
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