Why? Generally the further the origin and the more out of season, the greater the carbon emissions.
HARD FACT:
Air-freighted food has a 100 times more climate impact. With global warming fast accelerating, we’re at a crisis point where we just can’t afford that.
What this actually means…
The simplest way to look at it, is that when food is grown locally and in season then it has a low carbon impact. Why?
Because it grows under the elements and doesn’t need a hothouse (which takes energy to heat).
There’s not far to transport it. There’s those fossil fuels again.
The embarrassing truth is we’ve unwittingly got really spoilt. We want it all and we want it all the time. And before we go blaming the supermarkets for stocking everything possible in the first place, they will only sell what we’re willing to buy. It’s on us crew.
Ok got it. So how do I take action?
Working out the impact of food is actually massively complex because it’s tricky to tell how it’s got to us and how it’s been grown. So that we can all make conscious choices without needing a PhD in environmental science, we’re using the 80:20 rule on this one. Its easiest to go with good rules of thumb here, rather than hard and fast.
> Always check the label (yes, more on plastic soon!) or, if you can, ask where it’s come from.
> Buy from as close to home as possible, from your own country is generally best.
> Buy seasonal where you can.
> Avoid highly perishable out-of-season foods, they are almost certainly air-freighted. Boo.
> If it’s out of season and you must have it, choose the closest country (eg Spain vs Peru).
> If you’ve got kids ask them to be your investigators!
But will it cost me more money?
It shouldn’t. You might even save some.
We worried…
…that we wouldn’t be able to have bananas. Then we discovered that they are in fact one of the best! Grown in natural sunlight, transported by sea because they last a long time, with minimal need for packaging = gold. Oranges and other long shelf life fruits are generally fine too. Hurrah.
“Will it be the papaya or the planet?”
It’s serious. So let’s make some serious noise.
Please like, share, forward, comment, tweet. It’s on us all.