We’re faced with a barrage of ethical dilemmas every time we browse the supermarket shelves. Is it better to support the livelihoods of poor farmers in developing countries or is it better to ‘buy local’ and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with international shipping and airfreight? I wasn’t sure, so I decided to do some investigating.
The International Institute for Environment and Development, a non-profit research organisation, has released a report that sheds light on the food miles debate. The report highlights the social and economic benefits to some of the poorest farmers in the world when we buy food produced in Sub-Saharan Africa.
It states that ‘over 1 million livelihoods in Africa are supported by UK consumption of imported fresh fruit and vegetables’ and that ‘In the UK, 87% of the Green Beans that we consume are from 5 African countries’.
These figures are staggering. The report makes it clear that in not buying air-freighted produce from Africa, ‘we can only reduce UK total emissions by less than 0.1%’. Given that so many livelihoods are dependent on the UK market, perhaps it would be better to focus our carbon saving efforts elsewhere?
I looked to the Fairtrade Foundation for more guidance. In Why the Climate Revolution Must be a Fair Revolution, it says that it’s more important to consider a product’s total life cycle emissions. Basically it’s telling us that in every step of the production process emissions are generated and we’re getting hung up on one element – transport. For example, Cafedirect found that 65% of the carbon emissions from a cup of Teadirect comes from boiling the kettle in the UK.
So this Fairtrade Fortnight, I’m leaving the food miles debate behind and supporting the brands that carry the Fairtrade mark. I know that I need to reduce my own personal emissions but I don’t think that the supermarket is the place to start.
This Fairtrade Fortnight Oxfam and Cafédirect have teamed up to the The Big Swap. You can swap a bag of clothing donations for a box of Cafédirect’s Everyday Tea in Oxfam shops that stock food – So to start my spring cleaning early I’ll be having a sort through my wardrobe this Fairtrade Fortnight.
Find out more about how you can get involved in The Big Swap.
Find out more about Fair miles: Recharting the food miles map.