Why long-haul food may be greener than local food with low air-miles - Times Online

Why long-haul food may be greener than local food with low air-miles - Times Online: "Why long-haul food may be greener than local food with low air-miles
Shoppers choosing local over long-haul may not be as green as they think, finds our correspondent as he unravels the scienceRichard Woods
If you buy a packet of Waitrose blueberries from Chile, it’s a crime against humanity. If you nibble mange tout from Africa, you’re practically murdering the planet. And if you eat apples from New Zealand, well, you’re in league with the devil.
Why? Food miles, of course. It’s obvious that if you buy food from thousands of miles away, the transport alone must consume vast amounts of energy, thus fuelling climate change and global meltdown. As any concerned citizen knows, think green, think local.
Or think again. Researchers are finding that food miles are far from the whole story when assessing the environmental impact of what we eat. At a conference last month on the economics of food, Chris Foster of Manchester Business School presented some startling conclusions from a review of the evidence."