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Carbon Footprint

Carbon Footprint per Menu Item tracks an estimated CO2-grams-per-serving figure for each dish, grouped into a five-tier eco rating from Very Low to Very High, so you can identify your highest-impact dishes and communicate genuine eco credentials to guests who care about it.

📍 Menu path: Revenue & Pricing → Carbon Footprint

👤 Who uses it: All roles with the Menu Management feature enabled

Overview

Each tracked item has an Item Name, Category (Main/Starter/Bread/Dessert/Beverage/Other), an estimated CO2 grams per serving figure, a Method (Estimated or a more rigorous sourcing basis), and optional Notes explaining the estimate.

The Eco Rating scale bands emissions into five tiers: A – Very Low (≤300g), B – Low (301–700g), C – Moderate (701–1200g), D – High (1201–2000g), E – Very High (>2000g), each shown with a distinct colour.

A KPI strip summarises Items Tracked, the average CO2/serving across tracked items, how many qualify as Low Impact (≤700g), and the single Highest figure currently recorded.

A category filter and search box let you narrow the list down when reviewing a specific part of the menu (e.g. just Mains) for its carbon impact.

Before You Start

You must have the Menu Management feature enabled on your plan.
CO2-per-serving figures must be entered manually per item (typically sourced from a supplier disclosure, a recognised food carbon database, or your own reasoned estimate) — this page tracks and displays the numbers, it does not calculate them from ingredients automatically.

Step-by-Step Guide

1 Add a tracked item

Click "+ Add Item".
Enter the Item Name, Category, and your CO2 Grams Per Serving estimate.
Choose a Method (e.g. Estimated) and add any Notes on how the figure was derived.
Save — the item now appears in the list with its eco rating colour.

2 Find your highest-impact dishes

Sort or scan the list for items rated D (High) or E (Very High).
Review whether ingredient substitutions or portion adjustments could meaningfully reduce impact on your most-ordered high-impact dishes.

3 Promote low-impact dishes to guests

Filter or search for A/B-rated (Low/Very Low) items.
Use these as the basis for an eco-conscious menu callout or a "sustainable choices" section, backed by real tracked figures.

Every Field & Button, Explained

Field / Button	What it does
`CO2 Grams Per Serving`	The core tracked figure per item — an estimated or sourced carbon emissions value in grams for one serving.
`Eco Rating (A–E)`	Automatically derived band from the CO2 figure: A ≤300g, B 301–700g, C 701–1200g, D 1201–2000g, E >2000g.
`Method`	How the figure was derived (e.g. Estimated) — recorded so the basis of each number stays visible and auditable.
`KPI strip (Items Tracked / Avg CO2 / Low Impact count / Highest)`	Summary figures across all currently visible (filtered) tracked items.

Tips & Best Practices

Be consistent about Method across items — mixing loosely-estimated figures with more rigorously sourced ones without noting it in Notes can make comparisons misleading.
Revisit high-impact dishes periodically as ingredient sourcing changes — a supplier switch can meaningfully shift a dish's footprint.
Use the eco rating bands as guest-facing communication only once you're confident in the underlying figures — an inaccurate low rating undermines trust more than not showing one at all.

Troubleshooting & FAQ

The average CO2/serving figure seems off.

It's calculated only from the currently filtered/visible items — check whether a category filter or search term is narrowing the set before comparing it against expectations.

I don't know what CO2 figure to enter for a dish.

This page doesn't calculate emissions from ingredients automatically — use a recognised food carbon database, supplier disclosure, or a documented estimate, and record your basis in Notes.

An item's eco rating looks wrong for its CO2 value.

Ratings are fixed thresholds (≤300/700/1200/2000g) — double-check the entered CO2 Grams Per Serving value itself rather than the rating, since the rating is always derived directly from it.