Editor's note

The rise of "carbon neutral" food is not only an important breakthrough for the food industry to practice the concept of green development, but also marks the formation of a new consumption trend. However, the spread of "carbon neutral" foods still requires a multi-party effort. Experts suggest that the government should further improve the policy support system, speed up the development of relevant standards and certification mechanisms, provide clear guidelines for enterprises to act, and encourage more enterprises to participate in the research and development and production of "carbon neutral" food through incentives such as tax incentives and financial subsidies. At the same time, consumers should also actively establish a green consumption concept, by prioritizing the choice of "carbon neutral" food, to promote the market to a more sustainable direction.

During the Spring Festival, the first "carbon neutral" strawberry in the west and the first "carbon neutral" sparrow tongue tea in the country were officially unveiled in Chengdu, adding a touch of green to the holiday table of citizens, and also marking a new level of "carbon neutral" food industry in Chengdu.

This "carbon neutral" strawberry, grown in the suburbs of Chengdu, uses green planting technologies such as smart greenhouse cultivation and integrated water and fertilizer to minimize carbon emissions. In the planting process, through precise temperature and humidity control, reduce the use of pesticides and fertilizers, and use clean energy such as solar energy to power the greenhouse, to achieve low carbonization of strawberry planting. In addition, strawberry packaging uses biodegradable materials and optimizes logistics distribution routes to further reduce the carbon footprint.

"Carbon neutral" bird tongue tea comes from Ya 'an, Sichuan province, where the climate is mild and humid, the soil is fertile, is the ideal place for tea growth. The tea garden adopts ecological planting mode, prohibits the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides, and maintains soil and water by planting green fertilizer and building cistern, so as to maintain the ecological balance of the tea garden. In the tea processing process, clean energy such as electric energy and natural gas is used to replace traditional coal burning, and advanced processing equipment is introduced to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

"Carbon neutral" food is on the rise, and the categories are becoming increasingly rich

In fact, "carbon neutral" food is not the first time in Chengdu. In recent years, with the enhancement of consumer awareness of environmental protection and the promotion of the "double carbon" goal, "carbon neutral" food has gradually become a new trend in the food industry. By the beginning of 2025, a variety of carbon-neutral foods are already on the market. These products are carbon neutral by reducing greenhouse gas emissions during production and, if necessary, offsetting the remaining emissions by purchasing carbon credits.

Chengdu has obvious advantages to help the development of the "carbon neutral" food industry

As a national low-carbon pilot city, Chengdu has unique advantages in the development of "carbon neutral" food. Chengdu Plain is rich in natural products, mild climate and fertile soil, which provides a high-quality raw material basis for "carbon neutral" food. At the same time, Chengdu's food processing industry chain is perfect, with many well-known enterprises and scientific research institutions, providing strong support for the technological innovation and industrialization of "carbon neutral" food. For example, through distributed photovoltaic power generation, clean energy replacement and other measures, Chengdu enterprises successfully launched "carbon neutral" hot pot base, mineral water and other products, to achieve the full chain carbon emission reduction. In addition, Chengdu citizens have strong environmental awareness and high acceptance of green food, providing a broad space for the "carbon neutral" food market. This combination of resource advantages, industrial base and market demand has made Chengdu an important highland of the national "carbon neutral" food industry, and is expected to play a greater leading role in the field of green food in the future.

In the future, with the iteration of technology and the improvement of the industrial chain, the types of "carbon neutral" food will be more abundant, and the cost will be gradually reduced, benefiting more ordinary consumers. This is not only a green revolution in the food industry, but also a low-carbon transformation practice with the participation of the whole society. With every carbon-neutral food choice, we are contributing to the sustainable development of the planet and injecting lasting momentum towards the goal of "two-carbon".