The science correspondent is Pallab Ghosh.
New research shows that supermarket shoppers could soon be checking the environmental impact of their purchases.
Reliable information has not been provided.
UK manufacturers only have to give a percentage of their main ingredients.
The scientists used public databases to estimate the composition of thousands of food products.
Even though rising prices will be a concern for most, many consumers want to know how their weekly shop affects the planet.
If the food industry uses the research to cut its environmental footprint, it will have a bigger impact on the environment, according to Prof Peter Scarborough.
He said that the food industry is crying out for the new tool and that it is already being used by some manufacturers.
It fills a big hole. They don't have the tools to reach their targets for net zero emissions.
Some of them are talking to us about things they can do to help people buy more sustainable food. The data could be used to adjust the formula.
Limits exist in the analysis. Country of origin and agricultural production method are not usually shown on ingredient lists. The tool was called a significant step towards providing information that could enable informed decision-making by the leader of the research.
In the UK and Ireland, 57,000 foods and drinks are found in supermarkets. The impact of growing methods, processing and transport on the environment was assessed.
An eco-score is calculated for the environmental impact of individual food and drink products.
The researchers began working with the company in January.
The company wanted to achieve net zero emissions by the year 2030.
He said that the company used more whole grains and vegetables and took out some meat in order to get a better score for its canteen menu.
The higher the score, the higher the impact on the environment. Foods with more meat and dairy are more likely to score higher than those with less meat and dairy. The environmental impact of meat-based equivalents was between a fifth and a tenth of the impact of plant-based alternatives.
There was a lot of variation in the categories.
The highest impact pork sausage was about a third higher than the lowest impact. The impact of biscuits rose the more chocolate they contained, showing that small recipe changes can make a big difference.
"If you look at the government strategy on achieving net zero emissions around food systems, they are not measuring the actual greenhouse gas emissions, instead the recommendation is to reduce meat consumption"
Meat has the biggest greenhouse gas emissions, but you miss a lot of multi-ingredient foods which had previously had no reduction targets.
Cook, a Kent-based frozen food producer, has been working with the researchers. It wants to find out if putting eco-labels on its products would encourage customers to eat more sustainable food.
COOK's head of sustainable food said that the tool could help them by making sure that there is a delicious option for someone who is looking to reduce their environmental impact through what they eat.
Eco-labelling will not become compulsory in the near future. They want firms to adopt it because they think it will lead them to compete for customers with more sustainable products.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was happy with the initiative.
If people want to make healthier, greener or more sustainable choices with the food they purchase, we want to give them the information. We are looking at how we can better support voluntary industry schemes in the future.
The research was published in the national academy of sciences
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