Food miles is a term used to describe the distance food is transported on its journey from producer to final consumer.
From pineapples grown in Costa Rica, pears in Argentina, avocados from Mexico, mangos in Vietnam, or beef from Brazil. The truth is, these days most of our food travels the world before it reaches a plate.
Our food systems today are highly complex, complicated and deeply intertwined with our fossil fuel based economy. Which means it is almost always cheaper for food manufacturers to grow and harvest food outside the United States than it would be to produce it locally.
To put the concept of food miles into perspective. We’ll use a package of diced pears from The Dole Food Company as an example.
Our pears, for this example, are grown and harvested in Argentina. Here they are stored for months before being shipped to Thailand for processing and packaging. The packaged and labeled product is then shipped back across the Pacific Ocean to the United States. Where it is loaded up and shipped out to grocery stores around the country.
When calculating food miles for our single package of Dole pears, we can see that our small snack travels more than 18,000 miles before it reaches grocery store shelves.
These practices in our modern food systems obviously have some sort of an environmental impact. While our example of pears may have a relatively small effect, globally. Viewing these practices across our entire food system highlight a larger systemic problem. In fact, according to research published by Poore and Nemecek in 2018, 26% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions come from industrialized food production.
Look into where the foods you purchase are sourced. Consider visiting local farmers markets or buying direct from local farms for the produce you eat most often. Eat fruits and vegetables that are in season while cutting back on processed foods.
It’s not only healthier and often more tasty, it can be more affordable as well. All while helping grow your local economy. All around, minimizing food miles is a win.
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