English: Food miles M5 northbound, approaching Junction 13 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Here are 10 simple ways to reduce food miles which is the distance that your food has to travel from the producer until it lands on your plate.
Do I think that we have to get hung up on the issue of food miles? No, not at all. I do think, however, that we need to do the best that we can do to eat local and shop local. This supports local business and farmers and if you make the choice to switch to organic food, then it’s even better for you!It’s similar to the carbon footprint calculations in terms of these measures being rather idealistic as they attempt to measure the impact human activity has on the environment. Food and transport are said to be the biggest concerns for those with a green conscience.
Here are 10 simple ways to reduce food miles
1. Shop local – read your labels. If something comes from your neighbourhood wonderful. Your State? That’s still good. What about your country, not ideal but still a step in the right direction.
2. Farmers Markets – a great place to source local seasonal foods is at farmers and organic markets.
3. Grow your own vegetables – if you set aside a vegetable patch, not matter how big, you will literally be able to have meals that have not created any food miles.
4. Eat seasonally – this ensures that you are eating foods that are produced locally for your area. Plan your meals around what is being harvested around you at the time.
5. Learn to cook from scratch – a lot of your package mixes and convenience foods are not made locally. They are part of national food producers and are then packaged for the individual stores.
6. Walk or cycle to the shop – if you only have a couple of things to buy and a shop within walking or cycling distance, consider a walk rather than going by car.
7. Find a local CSA (Community Supported Farmers) farm near to you at Local Harvest.com
8. Shop at co-ops with friends. Create a shopping support group for your items that you will need in bulk. Each month one person from the group will go to buy the produce.
9. Attend U-Pick days at local farms where you can pick anything from nuts to olives to cure or simple eat at home.
10. Shop once a month or less by making use of stockpiling techniques so that you are never without the things you use most of and can create meals from scratch.
Here is a rather entertaining video with a serious message about why you should reduce food miles.
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