Food That Travels Well

In the US, some fruits and vegetables travel thousands of miles before reaching the dinner table. It would seem logical that food products grown close to home require less energy than those from far away. Environmentalists tout domestic products, farm markets and labels that promise reduced consumption of carbon fuel. But the carbon print of vegetables should not be measured in miles alone. Researchers at Lincoln University in New Zealand considered other factors, including water use, harvesting techniques, fertilizers, disposal of packaging and storage procedures, explains James McWilliams in the New York Times. They discovered that “buy local” is not always the most efficient strategy. For example, grain-fed British lambs used four times the energy of New Zealand clover-fed lambs that traveled to England by boat. McWilliams cautions that distance is not necessarily the enemy of the environment and that detailed information about any product’s life cycle will lead to healthier choices, geographic advantages, sustainable food systems and a cleaner environment for all. – YaleGlobal