Food miles

Laura Rowe discusses how far our food has travelled as many of us have little idea where it is from and who produced it

Food miles and food provenance are the new buzzing words for 2007. For those unversed in the terminology, food miles simply means how far your food has travelled to your plate and its provenance is where and who has produced it: both of which are of increasing importance to the socially and environmentally aware shopper.

The way we shop for our food not only affects our taste buds but can contribute to pollution such as carbon emissions and global warming. The statistics are worrying. Food and agriculture consist of 30% of the goods transported on our roads.

Scarily, even though we live in the lush, green British Isles we import 95% of fruit and 50% of all our vegetables. This was most evident when I visited the indoor market in Cardiff and asked where the leeks were from, they among virtually everything else on the stalls were from overseas.

But we as individuals arguably have a responsibility, to our health and the environment. The average UK adult travels approximately 135 miles a year just for food, that’s 135 miles worth of toxic chemicals being pumped into the atmosphere just getting to the supermarket let alone taking into consideration the distance the food has already travelled getting there.

Many people have chosen organic produce in a battle against pollution and as the healthy option. But realistically is organic helping? Is an organic tomato picked two weeks before it is really ripe so it lasts longer, driven to the airport, flown all the way from Spain, and then driven through the British Isles to be dropped of at the local supermarché really better for the environment? How can that same tomato be better for your health when vegetables start losing their vitamins and minerals as soon as they are picked? And from a selfish broke student point of view, how can that same tomato which cost nearly double what a bog standard tomato costs be worthwhile?

The Soil Association has even recognised this blatant contradiction and are currently consulting on how to address it, considering carbon offsetting, labelling stating the specific food miles travelled or even an outright ban on the air-freighting of organic food.

Who wants tasteless bland strawberries in the winter on their cereal? You can taste, see and smell when it’s seasonal and when it’s local. As a loud and proud country bumpkin myself I like the feeling knowing I am supporting local farmers and producers. But, this doesn’t mean ignoring the supermarkets. I think everybody is happy to jump on the supermarket bashing bandwagon. No-one reading this article hasn’t been to the marvel that is the 24 hour Tescos. Lets face it, we couldn’t survive without it. But be a savvy shopper. In many of the supermarkets they have local produced goods, such as sausages or cheeses. For the other bits and bobs try your local veg shop, and don’t be afraid to ask where the food is from.

In Cardiff we are very lucky as we have a weekly Farmer’s Market, the Riverside Real Food Market, on a Sunday at the Fitzhamon Embankment between 10am and 2pm by the Millennium Stadium. Here they sell fresh Welsh and organic produce, from local producers. Their motto is ‘fresh food at good prices for locals’, how can you go wrong with that. Cardiff indoor market is also brilliant for meats and cheeses.

My favourite was the cheese stall, where 70% were locally produced. The delicious ‘Welsh Harlech’ was wonderfully creamy and had a tangy mustard flavour, and ‘Perl-wen’ which was an organic soft cheese, similar in appearance to Brie, smelt like stinky Bishop, but the taste was strong and just divine. There are also loads of Butchers, like J. T. Morgan who provides free range chickens from St. Lythans farm, salt marsh lamb (which is a real undervalued welsh speciality) and a Welsh black pudding, among lots of other local meats. For something a bit different K. Blackmore and Sons in the market also provides Venison from Chepstow, Beef and Veal from Glamorgan as well as guinea fowl and rabbit.

But as I said when eating locally the realistic factor, which can be considered good or bad, is that you will have to eat seasonally. A really good website, if you are unsure about what is in season when is http://eattheseasons.co.uk. At the moment purple sprouting broccoli, leeks, cauliflower, celeriac, chicory, spring onions and rhubarb are all in season. But remember its not only fruit and veg that have seasons. Meat and seafood also have seasons. Fish is obviously a lot harder to buy locally but your main concern should be that you are buying a fish that is caught from sustainable waters. In the Cardiff indoor market there is a chart. But wherever you buy, even in the supermarkets don’t be afraid to ask. Again at the moment John Dory, salmon, lemon sole, cod, hake, mussels and cockles are all in season.

But of course the way we treat the environment and what food to choose is a complex issue. A tomato being grown in the UK in December is going to need an immense amount of heat and energy to grow compared to Spain. Government studies also show that on average organic farming requires 15% less energy to produce the same amount as non-organic food.

So what is the right choice? For me I will always choose local produce over organic any day. I take pride in knowing that the vegetables and the meat I eat is grown close to where I live, breathing in the same air and seeing the same sky. This often means eating seasonally, which for me means that the fruit and vegetables taste better.