It used to be that most people obtained from their food from local sources. Today, however, food at our table can come from as far away as New Zealand, Brazil or Thailand.

Look at what's in your cupboard or fridge and try to estimate how far your food has traveled. All of this "traffic" in food requires staggering amounts of fuel - generally by refrigerated airplanes or transport trucks.

According to the World Watch Institute, a typical Sunday meal in a mid-western U.S. state consisting of beef, potatoes, and vegetables travels an average of 2577 kilometres (1601 miles). Researchers estimate that this "gassy food" requires up to 17 times the petroleum and generates as much as 17 times the transport-related carbon emissions than the same meal made from locally grown ingredients. By the time a head of lettuce grown in California reaches Toronto, the energy it took to transport it amounts to 36 times the amount of energy it provides by eating it.

Food transportation is one of the fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions. The growth in the distance food travels has also corresponded with an increase in food packaging, as food products are designed for longer journeys and shelf lives. In addition, there is a large amount of food waste, which unfortunately is not always composted.

One of the best ways to help slow climate change is to eat locally or better yet - grow your own food!

Published in Zero Waste Spring 2003, a publication of the Regional District of Nanaimo, British Columbia.