The carbon footprint of local food

Consumers are increasingly inclined to choose locally produced food over imported products in order to reduce the carbon footprint of their diets. While local food has the connotation of being more sustainable, this is not necessarily always the case. Imported product may be produced and transported in ways that result in lower greenhouse gas emissions or other environmental impacts. In some cases, therefore, the choice of what to eat can be more important for the environmental impact of food consumption than where that food comes from. For example, some foods are transported by sea, which is a relatively carbon-efficient mode of transport. Most of the carbon emissions associated with food transport actually occur domestically, when products are transported by lorry. An overstated emphasis on local food may overshadow other relevant food choices, such as what food categories to consume in what quantities.

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The carbon footprint of local food

Consumers are increasingly inclined to choose locally produced food over imported products in order to reduce the carbon footprint of their diets. While local food has the connotation of being more sustainable, this is not necessarily always the case. Imported product may be produced and transported in ways that result in lower greenhouse gas emissions or other environmental impacts. In some cases, therefore, the choice of what to eat can be more important for the environmental impact of food consumption than where that food comes from. For example, some foods are transported by sea, which is a relatively carbon-efficient mode of transport. Most of the carbon emissions associated with food transport actually occur domestically, when products are transported by lorry. An overstated emphasis on local food may overshadow other relevant food choices, such as what food categories to consume in what quantities.

A study conducted in 2006 found out that despite the idea that consuming locally is a more sustainable choice than consuming imported foods, food was produced in a far more unsustainable way dommestically in the United Kingdom than the same food imported from New Zealand. For instance, the UK used four times more energy than NZ in producing lambs, twice as much energy per tonne of milk solids produced than NZ, and 40% more energy for produing apples. Thus, the United Kingdom local food production has higher CO2 emissions than its imports from New Zealand.

Saunders, C., Barber, A., Taylor, G. (2006). Food Miles

– Comparative Energy/Emissions Performance of New Zealand’s Agriculture Industry. Research Report No. 285. Lincoln University.

Katz, D. (2016). The Myth of Food Miles. Canadian Student Review, 20-24.

Ritchie, H. (2022). Eating local is still not a good way to reduce the carbon footprint of your diet. Sustainability by numbers. https://hannahritchie.substack.com/p/food-miles

Ritchie, H. (2020). You want to reduce the carbon footprint of your food? Focus on what you eat, not whether your food is local. Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/food-choice-vs-eating-local