Food Miles and Climate Change

This is an article I wrote in September 2007, twelve years ago. Listening to today’s news one would think these topics had not been considered prior to the last few years...

I’m not an advocate for the “climate change – the world in going to end if we don’t stop mining coal and flying aeroplanes’’ mantra. There is much we used to do that we stopped doing, like farming sustainably, water management, eating in season. Now we have food imported from around the world so we can have grapes in winter and oranges from the USA. Did we ask for this? I don’t think so. It is temptation put on us by the food industry, and so we get tempted to buy the asparagus from Mexico, and the lemons from ‘Lord knows where’ and it’s not Australia. What for? To make a profit? It is called ‘’competition’’ and because it can be done, doesn’t mean it should be done.

We, the consumer, can make a difference. Just don’t buy food from any country other than Australian made. Product of Australia. And I do like Morello cherries from Hungary, but I don’t have to have them. I could wait for Australia’s fresh cherry season. Please read on as we may not be aware of how important it is to ‘buy Australian’ so we can continue to ‘be Australian’ and to let the children also know this as a way to look after their future instead of being influenced to believe that there is no future for them.

The climate changes every day. We just need to bring back our knowledge, our resilience, and ways to withstand the changing climate from heat waves to cyclones to beautiful weather and storms, and bushfires and lovely cold crisp nights, and soaking rains. That’s what the climate is supposed to do. Change from season to season, and we can help it by respecting it, respecting the land and working with, giving back to it, rather than against it, and taking from it every skerrick of what it has to give. Please read on, there is much one can do, and which many are doing, but this article is about ‘’food miles’’.

Has your meal traveled 116,587km to get to your dinner table? If you had a meal made of chips from the Netherlands, noodles from Taiwan, olives from Spain, carrots from Belgium, green beans from China, asparagus from New Zealand , prawns from Thailand and grapes from the USA then these are the miles that your food has needed to travel to be a meal for you and your family. (Ref. Food to Go, Sunday Mail 24/9/06)

“Food Miles” is terminology used to describe the relativity of energy used to get food to the consumer. The burning of fuel to transport food releases greenhouse gases affecting the atmosphere. But it is more than carbon emissions and use of fossil fuels. It is cost to the consumer, cost to support the roads and infrastructure that carries the heavy freight, cost to deepen the harbours for the ever increasing size of the container ships which is also a threat to the environment of the sea channels and harbours.

Many people want to know what they could do ongoing to help with the environment. The Al Gore Climate Change workshop forum Sat 7th July 2007 in Brisbane did not mention any of the following practical, can do in my hometown, and family life, without cost and without activism.

One of the ways we can contribute is to cut down the food miles of the food we eat.

1. Read labels to determine from where your food has come. Do internet research if you can’t work it out on the label. Write to the company, ask them where the 80% of ingredients (or whatever the % is) from another country comes from. You may be surprised; I know I am sometimes when I enquire direct from the business that is on the label.

2. Buy Australian and preferably foods grown in the State in which we live, as food miles within Australia can be immense.

3. Buy food in season; don’t crave for watermelons in the winter!

4. Certified organic foods are seasonal, grown in Australia, without the use of fertilizers and pesticides. Numerous studies have shown that carbon dioxide emissions from organic farming are 40-60% lower per hectare than conventional systems that use nitrogen fertilizers. (www.bfa.com.au). Organic farming also sequester the most carbon in the soil. Not that I’m a fan of the ‘’carbon’’ is ruining the atmosphere argument.

5. Make a promise to yourself that you will increase your spend on Australian produced food.

6. Seafood (fish, prawns, tuna etc.) is coming mostly from South East Asia now, and our local fish not available to us unless we go ‘’meet the trawler’’ or shop at the fish wholesalers. It is not just a matter of food miles; it is also food quality as the lesser quality species and means of handling has an effect on our health. Wild fish are more nutritious than farmed. Being aware of how far the food has traveled, and buying locally grown fresh foods, is not only good for the environment, it is good for your local businesses, food producers and good for your body and your family. There are many reasons to invest in locally grown, locally produced, chemical free and free range and/or certified organic food today.

Lesley Parker ND ANPA.
31st December 2019