Food provenance: from farm to fork
Being able to trace what's on your plate back to its very place of origin is set to be a staple requirement for all produce and is currently a burning issue in the food industry
A trip to the local supermarket is now a truly international experience. The food on the shelves is often more well-travelled than we are, and the sad truth is that while we are offered beef from Argentina, and apples from South Africa, just a few miles down the road our countryside is fast turning into a useless wasteland.
It used to be the case that organic, GM, and food additives were the top 'foodie' debates, but no more. Now, the most pressing food issue on the nation's plate is about food provenance - where our food comes from.
Here's a brief guide as to why food provenance is important, and how you can help influence the situation.
Clock up green miles, not air miles
Only 63 per cent of the food we eat is home-produced and, since one third of our household carbon emissions come from the food we buy, it is wise to reduce them by making sure your food hasn't travelled thousands of miles across the globe. Some of the figures are shocking. For example, the CO2 emissions caused by air-freighting a single basket of strawberries from New Zealand is equivalent to 11 school runs.
What you can do: Always check the label to find out where your food has come from. Ideally, we should buy produce that is within just 12 miles of the shop. By following this rule, it is estimated that the environmental costs would fall from £2.3 billion a year to under £230 million.
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