Food - Long Haul vs. Short Haul

Interesting article from the UK Times - 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 science

Key Points:

• Food may be better grown large scale, but further away.
• Food grown in some regions may require less energy (sunny area verses heated local greenhouse
• Buying locally may not be the best for the environment.
• LCA - “life cycle assessment” (LCA) of food products to show the total environmental impact of produce if everybody starts using this would be helpful.
• As much of 1/3rd of food bought in the UK is not eaten.
• Packaging (excessive) is a problem.
• Anything transported by air (vs road/boat) probably has an excessive foot print.

This does get confusing on what is the best enviromentally. I remember Peter Drucker saying just tell him what numbers you wanted as an accountant, and he could achieve that. He was explaining how Enron was nothing new, how historically many companies had cooked the books. Same thing with statistics, they can be used to show whatever you want, depending on what data you include. I remember Doonsbury analyzing which was best for the environment for diapers.