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When switching to an environmentallysustainable diet, one of the first things people tend to do is buy more locally produced food. But while there are many good reasons to purchase from local farmers—supporting the local economy; getting riper, tastier produce; encouraging seasonal eating—there are some nuances that call into question how green eating local really is. Here are some factors to consider.
1.Food miles matter less than how food is grown.
Food miles, or the distance food travels from where it’s grown to where it’s sold, is definitely a factor in determining its carbon footprint. But it has much less of an impact than many people realize. A life-cycle analysis in the journalEnvironmental Science & Technologydetermined that, on average, 11% of food’s greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation, while 83% of emissions come from growing, raising (in the case of animal protein) and processing the food.
2.Avoiding synthetic fertilizer is important.
Rather than focusing on where food is grown, the bigger question may behowit is grown. That’s because conventional farming often leads to higher carbon emissions thanorganic growing.
“In general, we would like to see foods produced more in concert with the environment and utilizing natural cycles,” saysGail Feenstra, Ph.D., SAREP’s director. It may even be that foods produced further from home that use organic systems are less carbon-intensive than local conventional products.
3.It’s good to try to buy fresh, seasonal food that grows naturally in your area.
In addition,eating seasonallyis also a good idea. Even foods that grow well in certain regions of the country will require more support if they’re forced to grow at a time they wouldn’t otherwise. (Tomatoes, for example, may need to be produced in greenhouses or under hoop houses.) Shopping seasonally ensures you get the freshest fruits and veggies possible. It also discourages people from splurging on out-of-season foods produced in other countries.
4.Decreasing meat consumption is better than buying local meat.
Meat and animal products will always have abigger environmental impactthan plant foods, regardless of where or how they’re produced, so cutting back on those foods in general is the most sustainable option. For every kilogram of beef produced, an estimated 99 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents are emitted. That’s compared to poultry, which emits 10 kg CO2eq per kilogram produced and tofu, which emits 3 kg CO2eq. Nuts emit just 0.43 kg CO2eq per kilogram produced.
Of course, there are other environmental costs to produce these low-emitting foods.Almonds, for example, require a hefty amount of water to grow. However, red meat still has twice the environmental impact as nuts, according to one study inPNASin 2019, which looked at the environmental consequences of producing 15 foods. The researchers found that the healthiest foods (whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, olive oil and fish) also had lower environmental impacts compared to less-healthy fare, including unprocessed and processed red meat. Moving toward these foods can both be good for you and the environment.
5 Tips to Help You Start Eating Less Meat
Bottom Line
The next time you visit a farmers' market or supermarket, think less about food miles and more about what you’re eating, whether it makes sense for your region and time of year, and how it was grown, to make your purchases an even brighter shade of green.
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