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...
Debate: How Much Do Food Miles Matter?
The Atlantic
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)
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It sounds similar to what Mark Bittman is espousing as well.
view rosebud's profile
Yup, it's a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. I actually went vegetarian just over a year ago for this reason. (Well, not strictly veg- but I can count on one hand the number of times I've eaten meat since then. So pretty much.)
As for my vegetables, I try to get everything I can at the local farmer's market, where I know the people I buy from and their production practices. Obviously I buy some imported foods- I'm not about to give up coffee or bananas!- but I try to stay away from things that are "needlessly" imported. That is, things like strawberries from Spain at this time of year, when I know that if I only hold on for a few weeks, I can get locally grown ones.
view Ele (@Kitchenist)'s profile
I try to buy locally and always only buy seasonal fruit and vegetables but as I live in Europe I'd miss my daily banana which you've used to illustrate this.
view hrhprincessfiona's profile
We try to eat local, both for flavor and to support the local economy. We even drink mostly American wines, though certainly don't have anything against imports. Oh, and we do eat bananas regularly, even though there are all sorts of problems there. Everything in moderation.
Rosebud - I agree. We've been trying out Bittman's Vegan Before 6 thing and it's awesome. It's amazing, how easy it is to skip the veggies without even realizing. VB6 keeps us honest!
view ricestein's profile
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Good book, same idea
view missmarie's profile
same here on the pre-evening vegetarianism/veganism. and the more i read (Plenty; Food Matters; Omnivore's Dilemma; Animal, Vegetable, Miracle; articles like this one....), the closer to home i eat. i think it absolutely matters. forgot where i read this, but eating SOLE food--sustainable, organic, local, and ethical--covers all the bases!
for more, visit the sustainable diet.href>
view amber77's profile
I went vegan for the environment more than three years ago. It just seemed like the easiest and most effective change I could make. And the eating has been good so far. I get as much local and seasonal food as I can, for a variety of reasons.
Interesting that this is getting attention now. That report has been out for more than a year.
view mollyjade's profile
Eating less DAIRY is right behind eating less MEAT in terms of the environmental impacts of our industrial modes of production. I think that DAIRY often gets overlooked in these conversations.
view JenPDX's profile
I buy local if I can find the same stuff in my region. I will not, however, stop eating meat or dairy to save the environment. There are other ways we can help the environment and still enjoy food. If meat is bad for the environment, why don't we just eradicate cows? People shouldn't think they should give up meat just for the environment. That's way too extreme. Do it because you want to, not because you feel you have to.
view Alaricus's profile