Food Miles Essay Example

style="text-align: justify">These journeys account for 25% of CO2 emissions. Studies show that 60% of carbon dioxide is produced through road transport from the cars, 20% through air transport and 10% through rail and water. Transportation of food costs the government so much money as most of the imported food is seasonally, the population also spends money having to go to the supermarkets and shops to buy food as half of population does not live near by the shops, and the mean average Britton travels an estimated 135 miles to go shopping.

It has been stated that if people suggested buying food originating from within a 20km radius from our locality, the country would save over two billion pounds in congestion and environmental costs. Food grown locally is more environmentally friendly. The reason usually given for this is that imported food e. g. New Zealand lamb, require a lot of fossil fuels and produce a lot of carbon emission to get it to the market. Locally grown food, require less fossil fuel and therefore put out less carbon emissions and is better on a global scale. The media have surfaced a huge image regarding the New Zealand apples that are transported to the UK .

The issue is how the produce is carried by air. Air transport is a very high producer of greenhouse gases and the concept of produce being flown from one side of the world to the other is repellent to many environmentally aware people. However, products like the New Zealand lamb going to the UK are not transported by air, but are freighted by ship, which uses less fossil fuel

and has less emission per kg of produce. The amount of fossil fuel used to import produce pales beside the amount of fossil fuel consumed taking the produce from the point of entry into the country to the depot, to the supermarket and then to the consumer’s home.

In conclusion food miles does not take into account the wider economic benefits that trade provides to consumers. For instance, it is difficult to pin point to whether how changes in preferences by Australian food consumers would affect regional development. A stronger consumer preference towards food products with lower food miles is also potentially harmful to Australian food exporters, as well as those in developing countries.