What's that macaroni & cheese's carbon footprint?

Sick of worrying about how bad that package of shredded cheese is for your health? Now you can fret over how much its production is affecting the Earth, too.

British grocery chain Tesco is implementing a two-year trial of its carbon footprint program. It will label 20 store brand items for their overall environmental impact from point of manufacture through disposal.

Detergents, orange juice, potatoes and light bulbs are among the few test items revealing the carbon emissions associated with their product.

The company is implementing the program in response to its customers' requests to understand how their behavior could be affecting the environment.

In an article for BBC News, Euan Murray, who manages the program being used by Tesco, said that "More than half of the carbon footprint of the average consumer is made up by the emissions to make, use and dispose of all the different things that we buy."

"Baking a potato in an oven generates far more emissions than if you boil it in a pan with a lid on, which in turn generates more emissions than cooking it in a microwave."

"Tesco can work with their suppliers to reduce the footprint of potato production over time; but Tesco can also communicate to consumers, through the label and supporting information, how they can use the product in a less carbon intensive way," Murray said.

TELL US: What do you think about carbon footprint labels in retail stores? Would it change what you purchased?