So, if you're living in
the UK, surely an apple,
imported from New Zealand
has a bigger carbon footprint
than one grown at home.
Not necessarily, because if you
buy that British apple in, say,
July, typically
it will have been
sitting in cold storage
for nine months.
The resulting carbon
emissions will be greater
than if it had been shipped from
the other side of the world.
Transport can play
a significant role.
The fact is that every
stage of a food's lifecycle
contribute to its
overall carbon footprint.
These can range from the
fuel and pesticides used
in production to
processing and packaging,
or the emissions created
if it's eventually
thrown away by the consumer.
When it comes to transport,
shipping accounts for about 60
per cent of global food miles,
while air travel makes up
less than 1 per cent.
Air transport only
tends to be used
for highly perishable
goods, such as asparagus,
green beans, and berries.
But it boosts a food's
emissions significantly.
For example, green beans air
freighted to the Netherlands
from Kenya have a much
larger carbon footprint
than those grown locally
or shipped from Morocco.
Now, as consumer awareness
rises the move toward carbon
labelling is gathering momentum.
Quorn Foods is aiming to put
carbon emission labels on 30
of its bestselling
products this year,
and other major food
companies could follow suit,
including Nestlé
and Premier Foods.
However, it's not a simple task.
UK supermarket chain Tesco
abandoned carbon labelling
after a few years in 2012,
claiming it took a minimum
of several months work to
calculate the footprint of each
product.
But today, thanks
to technology such
as smart sensors
and big-data tools,
there is much more
information available,
and measuring a food's carbon
emissions is becoming easier.
Eventually, we may actually
be able to accurately judge
our shopping on its
true carbon footprint,
wherever it's come from.
