Debate: How Much Do Food Miles Matter?
The Atlantic

We just read this article by Marion Nestle on The Atlantic's food site, and it brings up the (hotly debated) question of how important it is to buy local. Should we avoid produce that's traveled thousands of miles to reach us? Or is it more important to support sustainable farms and fair working conditions, no matter where they're located? Nestle shares an interesting statistic, plus the one thing we all should absolutely be doing...

Nestle references a paper from Environmental Science & Technology which states that most of the greenhouse gas emissions from food are released during its production, not its trip across the country to your grocery store. On the whole, transportation represents only 11 percent of life-cycle emissions.

Now, that doesn't mean we don't advocate eating locally when you can. Food that's grown nearby tastes better, and buying it supports your community farmers. But there's a far more important change you can make in your eating habits to benefit the environment, says Nestle.

Eat less meat.

We've talked about eating less overall, going vegetarian a few meals a week, and about the impact of meat production on the environment. Still, this was an interesting statistic to be reminded of: Red meat is around 150 percent more greenhouse gas-intensive than chicken or fish. So eating less can make a much bigger impact than adhering strictly to a local diet.

• Read the full article: Food Miles: Do They Really Matter? From The Atlantic.

What's your take on this? How hard do you try to eat locally, and have your habits changed?

Related: 10 Ways to Eat an Egg Tonight

(Image: Flickr member Steve Hopson, licensed for use under Creative Commons)

posted originally from: TheKitchn

Comments (2)

I always choose the organic option first with locally grown second on the list. The locally grown produce I've seen usually uses conventional farming methods, i.e. pesticides, herbicides, and commercial fertilizers. Strawberries, celery, and brussels sprouts are particularly chemically laden when grown conventionally.

If we're trying to save the environment organic is the way to go; plus, I'm putting this stuff in my body!

The only way to encourage local farmers to go organic is to eat organic.

I also choose organic first and local second. Fortunately we belong to a local and organic CSA and get a huge percentage of our food from there.

However, some things don't grow well in some climates, obviously, so I'd be interested in looking at the additional power/water impact of trying to grow things in adverse areas. For instance, is it more energy efficient to ship produce to the UK than it is to grow it there?

Also, when it comes to some things, fair trade is more important to me than organic. Coffee is the best example that comes to mind - yes it's going into *my* body, but having been to where (some) coffee is grown and personally witnessed that poverty, I want to support the farmers as much as I can.