Food Miles (Part 1): Supermarkets.

The concept of food miles (or kilometres if you prefer) is one that is gradually growing in public awareness and some supermarkets (at least those in the UK) are attempting to cut down on the number of products that are supplied by plane. Of course, the country of origin has been displayed on virtually all products for many years and by selecting home produced products over those produced in far off countries we can do a little to cut down on our own food miles tally.

You are a bit stuck if you live in northern latitudes and want to buy locally produced bananas though.

However, buying food from supermarkets will never allow "eco-loonies" like me to significantly cut down on my food miles due to the supply system that is used in packaged foods. For many products a single supplier is used for all stores, no matter where they are. Just this morning I saw a program on TV where a supermarket chain was using a singler grower of lettuce to supply all their stores! So, even if you buy lettuce from your own country, the chances are that if you buy it in a supermarket it will have already travelled up and down the country a couple of times to be washed, packaged, taken to the depot and then to the store.

Why not just buy lettuce from the guy who grows it just down the road? Better still, if you have a garden, just grow your own.

Furthermore, supermarkets put great pressure on farmers by selling their produce at super cheap prices.

Super cheap - hoorah!

This means that to make a profit, farmers are forced to put more and more pesticides and fertilizers on their land, and to cultivate land that would normally be left for wildlife, in order to produce more and make enough money to live on.

More pesticide and fertilizer - hooroo!

So, buying your produce in a supermarket has the double ill effect on the environment of massive food miles and the degradation of farmland habitat. Still, for many people there is little choice other than to shop in the supermarket. My grandparents were bemoaning the fact that where they live all the small shops have gone. This is true, when I was a child there used to be fishmongers, greengrocers and butchers where they live and now: ASDA and Tesco - boo! If you live in an area like this and want to cut down on food miles then you'll have to shop carefully, but there are things you can do.

1. Spend time looking at the labels to see where products come from. Buy the ones that come from as near to your locale as possible.

2. Cut down on packaging; don't forget that packaging has to be transported around too and adds to food miles.

3. Ask to speak to the manager and request that he stocks local produce, particularly if you live in an agricultural region. If the manager makes boring excuses, just say that you'll have to buy the locally produced version that the competing supermarket down the road sells. Managers hate that. Don't say it to other staff though because they don't care.

4. Change your diet. Do you really need to eat strawberries in the middle of winter? These little devils will have most certainly been flown in from somewhere far away leaving not so much as a carbon footprint as a carbon crater. Wait until summer for your strawberries etc. They taste much better when you haven't had them since last year.

5. Write to your local MP, Senator, Councillor, Govenor asking what they are doing to make sure that supermarkets are changing their policies regarding this issue. I'm sure they won't have a clue, so keep writing until they are compelled to actually learn something about the issue.

So, there are five things that everyone can do to cut down on food miles. However, if you live in a military dictatorship point five is a bit tricky for you, unless you stage a military coup of your own.

Power to the people! Down with supermarkets!