Food miles: an opinion

By Virgina Campbell, Epigram Food writer

Food miles- the distance that your food is transported from its place of production to you- are a hot topic right now. There are calls for reducing food miles because of harmful environmental effects and ethical dilemmas. But, is the demonisation justified?

Food miles are a growing concern because they are - quite literally - growing. An increase in the demand for out-of-season produce, processed food and competitive market prices has led to more out-sourcing than ever before. The apparent consequences for us are unfortunately large. More transportation means more C02 emissions which have been shown to be hugely contributory to global warming. Equally, the taste and nutritional value of foods - particularly fruit and vegetables - often understandably worsens when they’ve been hauled around for hours across countries.

It is worth noting however, that food miles can sometimes actually be a saving grace. Some high-demand foods such as tomatoes would generate more Co2 emissions if grown in the UK (due to the cold climate) than they would if imported from elsewhere. Similarly, local farming methods can also be more damaging than their oversea equivalents.

Kenyan green beans for example, are grown without any harmful pesticides or Co2-emitting tractors and machinery, both of which are heavily present in British green bean production. Storing local produce for when it’s no longer in season can also eventually use more energy than importing it in.

Another important factor is the employment involved in food imports. As population increase can often go hand in hand with unemployment increase, opportunities for work are becoming more scarce. The production of food provides many of these opportunities. An entire boycott on imported foods and their subsequent food miles may cause more present harm than good.

The only thing that is clear from all of these findings, is that the problem of food miles and Co2 emissions is much more complicated than you might at first think. It is incredibly difficult to discern which products are more or less harmful to the environment than others. At present, the only real way of helping ourselves and the planet is to use what we already know.

Steer away from highly processed, non-fair trade food; eat more vegetables and less meat (the animals themselves contribute to global warming in large quantities); walk to the supermarket if you can. You do not have to ban everything or change your whole lifestyle, just try to take small steps towards a better future for us all. These small steps will eventually lead us miles in the right direction.

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Featured image: Unsplash/Stijn de Strake