Throughout the diverse cultures of our world, we are bound together by the common necessities of daily life, perhaps the most prevalent of these being food. Historically, food was a farm to table commodity, with families producing what they consumed, however with technological advances of the early 20^th century, this method of consumerism became largely obsolete in many parts of the world, with much produce travelling thousands of miles to reach a consumer’s plate. In Canada, produce travels approximately 3000 kilometres to reach the final destination (1).

 

With food travelling long distances to reach the consumer, the food industry has a devastating impact on the environment. From deforestation to create fields, to unsustainable monoculture farming practices in an attempt to increase yield in a single commodity, to transportation, the food industry shows a shocking record of greenhouse gas emissions. The transportation of the food we eat accounts for nearly 20% of food related emissions, fruit and vegetables alone encompassing 36% of global food miles emissions, and food related emissions as a whole accounting for 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions (2).

 

In the face of these statistics, Canada has been making concentrated efforts to cut down on food related emissions through programs and policies, one of the most prominent of these being The Food Policy For Canada. Launched in 2019 with a budget of over $134 million, the Food Policy for Canada is government-run initiative that aims to reduce food related greenhouse gas emissions and food insecurity all while providing healthier meal options for Canadians (3). Eating locally grown produce is not only environmentally friendly, but is also healthier than eating processed or artificially preserved foods. Processed foods often contain added sugars, sodium, and fat, with even fresh fruit and vegetables being treated with preservatives for the long journey from farm to grocery store shelf to table. In addition, processed foods only include part of the produce used for ingredients, often disposing of healthful nutrients such as those found in fruit and vegetable peels (4).

 

Smaller independent farms that have been experimenting with sustainable farming practices also act as a nature-based solution to the climate crisis, with different agricultural practices aiding carbon sequestration and maintenance of soil quality and integrity, all while providing local consumers with fresh produce (5). Eating locally can be as simple as choosing produce grown within your province, state, or even your country, depending on your individual view of local. However you execute it, eating locally can hold massive environmental and health benefits, with increased protein and vitamins in the product, and decreased transport-related greenhouse gas emissions, creating a healthier planet, and healthier people at the same time.

 

Sources

1.   How Far Does our Food Travel? 2022. Nutritower

https://nutritower.com/blogs/news/how-far-does-our-food-travel#:~:text=In%20most%20cases%2C%20our%20produce,produce%20can%20be%20grown%20locally.

2.   Field to fork: global food miles generate nearly 20% of all CO2 emissions from food. 2023. European Union

https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/field-fork-global-food-miles-generate-nearly-20-all-co2-emissions-food-2023-01-25_en

3.   The Food Policy for Canada. 2020. The Government of Canada

https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/department/initiatives/food-policy/food-policy-canada 

4.   The Nutrition Source. 2023. Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/processed-foods/

5.   Nature-based solutions in agricultural landscapes for reducing trade-offs between food production, climate change, and conservation objectives. 2023. Frontiers

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/water/articles/10.3389/frwa.2023.1247322/full?&utm_source=Email_to_ae_&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=T1_11.5e2_editor&utm_campaign=Email_publication&journalName=Frontiers_in_Water&id=1247322

Photo credit: Corn stalks in a family-run farm in Ontario, Canada by F. Brown