SWEDEN’S shoppers are set to be the first to know what carbon dioxide emissions are associated with the food that they are buying with products to list this and restaurants are also following suit.

The New York Times reports  changing diet can be as effective in reducing emissions of climate-changing gases as doing away with the clothes dryer, scientific experts say.

”We’re the first to do it, and it’s a new way of thinking for us,” said Ulf Bohman, head of the nutrition department at the Swedish National Food Administration.

”We’re used to thinking about safety and nutrition as one thing and environmental as another.”

Some of the proposed dietary guidelines could shock shoppers as they recommend that Swedes choose carrots over cucumbers and tomatoes.

And they are advised to substitute beans or chicken for red meat, in view of the heavy greenhouse gas emissions from raising cattle.

”For consumers, it’s hard,” Mr Bohman said. ”You are getting environmental advice that you have to co-ordinate with, ‘How can I eat healthier?’ ”

Some experts say Sweden could cut its emissions from food production by 20 to 50 per cent.

An estimated 25 per cent of the emissions in industrialised nations can be traced to the food, according to recent research here.

It is expected this will be circulated across Europe and around the world in years to come.