Food Miles

It is not just your own travelling that causes climate change from greenhouse gases. Have you thought about where your food comes from? Take a look at the countries of origin in your fruit bowl, your larder and your freezer. Go look …. right now! Does that shock you? You may have stayed at home, but your food has been jetting around the world.

It is not just bananas and other stuff that won’t grow in the UK, UK grown apples are being sold abroad and we are buying apples from USA and South Africa. Where’s the sense in that?

It can be difficult to find home grown food sometimes. Besides growing your own, you can’t be sure how far your food has actually travelled. From farm to wholesaler to supermarket depot, to supermarket can be quite a few miles.

For example, beef from cattle reared in Kidwelly in South Wales, even if it is bought in South Wales, may have travelled up to 500 miles. It will have travelled to North Wales for slaughter, back down to South Wales for processing and packaging, to a regional distribution centre in Gloucester and then to the shop (source: Guardian)

There are ways to reduce food miles. Shop at local farmers markets (if there are any), eat fruit and veg that is in season locally and always look for local produce in the supermarkets.