Relative Benefits of Long and Short Food Chains

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1 Relative Benefits of Long and Short Food Chains Graham Day Gareth Edwards-Jones (PI) Barry Hounsome Monica Truninger Georgia Koerber Natalia Ivashikina Paul Cross Bangor University Llorenc Milo i Canals Surrey University

2 The Project Research question: What are the advantages and disadvantages of consuming locally produced fruit and vegetables as opposed to fruit and vegetables produced overseas? Start date: 1 st December, 2004 Duration: 3 years 6 Work Packages examining Domestic (England & Wales), European (Spain), and Non-European (Kenya & Uganda) production of fruit and vegetables.

3 The case for eating locally Say No to Tesco and Yes to Local Food Environmental campaigners believe this will minimise greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the carbon footprint of food production Community advocates contend that more localised food chains will strengthen local food economies and enhance social capital. Supporters of healthy eating claim that local produce is better and more nutritious than food that has travelled over distances.

4 Obviously the food transport, that s another thing that really naffs me off with the supermarkets I think it s irresponsible the effects on the environment, I want this world to carry on I mean if it s s local and really fresh and the organic looks horrible and like has travelled by a thousand miles then I buy local and I know that s s a lot of issues environmental issues with food miles which I m I m not happy with When I buy things I don t t buy things that aren t produced in Europe.For a start I don t t like America so I don t t buy anything that comes from America!

5 Consumers are aware of trade-offs and the need to compromise. I I find shopping a constant compromise! Do I buy organic? Do I buy Fair Trade? Do I buy local? I want to buy local but I can t it s s really frustrating it s s really difficult to buy apples From Herefordshire!

6 Consumer Scores for Desirability Attributes (n=1189) Score Freshness 3.83 Colour 3.60 Shelf Life 3.31 Price 2.99 Special Offers 2.92 Packaged/Loose 2.25 Ease of Preparation 2.25 Origin 2.22 Organic 2.06

7 Discrete Choice Model Attributes (n=1189) Coefficients Price (4 th /9) Days from picking (Freshness) (1 st /9) Origin (8 th /9)

8 Energy consumption in the life cycle of 1 kg of potatoes MJ/ kg of cooked potatoes Energy (gross calorific value, MJ) Potato storage and packaging UK cropping potato, cradle to farm gate Transport and retail Home processing

9 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) INPUT Machinery Pesticides Fertiliser Electricity Fuel Machinery Fuel Machinery Electricity Electricity Packaging Farm Transport Storage & processing Retail OUTPUT Food Wastes Pollution Pollution Pollution Wastes Wastes Pollution

10 Primary energy use per kg of apples from European and Southern Hemisphere suppliers for the different seasons (Mila i Canals et al.2007b)

11 Cradle to UK home for Broccoli UK & Spain Cropping Processing Transp. & retail kg CO2-eq/kg broccoli on plate ES1-1st ES1-2nd ES2-1st ES2-2nd UK5-1st UK5-2nd UK6-1st UK6-2nd

12 Net ecosystem production from crops in Net Ecosystem Production of Carbon from Crops grown in UK, Spain and Uganda October September 2006 UK, Spain & Uganda Oct 05- Sept 06 Wheat Vining Peas Temporary Pasture Sugar Beet Stick Beans Sim Beans Potatoes Lettuce Dwarf Beans Brassica NEP t C yr-1 Region Anglesey Lincolnshire Worcester Spain Uganda Error Bars show Mean +/- 1.0 SE

13 Year round supply of lettuce UK & Spain 4.00E E+00 GWP 3.00E E+00 UKc-In GWP [CO 2 -eq/kg lettuce in RDC] UKc-In 2.00E E E E E+00 UKd-In ESa-2 ESb-2 UKa-1 UKb-1 UKc-1 UKa-2 UKb-2 UKc-2 UKd-In ESa-1 ESb-1 Jan-Apr May-Jul Jul-Oct Nov-Dec

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15 Lettuce Red Batavia Total number of analysed nutrient compounds: 195 Vitamin K3 Vitamin B6 Teasterone Syringic acid Quinic acid Quercetin Naringenin Icosanoic acid Hydroxybenzoic acid Flavone Coniferyl alcohol Citric acid Chlorogenic acid Canavanine Caffeine Cadaverine Behenic acid Apigenin Antioxidants and anti-tumour compounds

16 POLYTUNNELS, LEOMINSTER

17 Health of horticultural field and packhouse workers as measured by SF-36 in 2006, n conventional = 423, n organic = 97 (Cross et al in press) SF-36 scale and summary scores for field and packhouse workers by farming method Conventional Organic UK norm 40 Mean score PF RP BP GH VT SF RE MH PCS MCS PF = Physical Functioning, RP = Role Physical, BP = Bodily Pain, GH = General Health, VT = Vitality, Health attribute SF = Social Functioning, RE = Role Emotional, MH = Mental Health, PCS = Physical Component Score MCS = Mental Component Score

18 The Public in the Green Room To say that soil itself contributes to greenhouse gas should make e people either alarmed or sceptical about this report's implications.. This article is short-sighted, sighted, inaccurate, and misleading. To insinuate that green house gasses from the soil are responsible for environmental nmental degradation is ridiculous. The bit about the gases produced by different kinds of soil seems s to me unnecessary for the issue at hand, unless the author is claiming that significant pollution results from our choice of soil. THAT would d be news. If I was a cynic, I d I d be wondering if his big research grant came from some big food importer or perhaps an oil company Common sense says to me that beans and lettuce grown by my local farmer and sold s at his stall have probably resulted in less greenhouse emissions than the same item flown from Africa or South America.