Local food initiatives ‘not always greener’
Dr Michel Pimbert, director of the Centre of Agroecology and Food Security at Coventry University, said he was “very encouraged” by the burgeoning number of local food initiatives, defined as ‘short food supply chains in local food systems, where production and distribution is restricted to a geographical area’.
While many of these products go from farm, to farm shops or farmers’ markets, he said it was noticeable how the range of products had soared to include drinks and meat, as well as fruit and vegetables, which were originally sold.
‘Shift in dietary patterns’
He believed such systems rebuilt trust in the food chain and led to “shifts in dietary patterns”, leading to less obesity.
While these networks increased the share of profits for the farmer and local economies and, in turn, created local jobs, studies showed they were not as environmentally friendly as many would assume, he told the Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival Conference in Suffolk.
“You might think that short supply chains would be more environmentally friendly, but no, and this was a real surprise.”
When a product was “truly local and seasonal”, then the level of greenhouse gases (GHG) associated with the product went down.
‘Linear processes’
However, too many producers in short supply chains are adopting “linear processes” such as those used by mainstream manufacturers in terms of transport steps, manufacturing processes and a dependency on oil and plastics.
“You need to move from this linear system to a more circular one where waste from one part of the system is food for another.
“[Where this happens] you find the most successful, local, short supply chains in terms of GHG, but many are not taking this approach.”
Looking ahead, Pimbert said local food initiatives needed to receive more support from policy makers, especially when it came to public procurement policies.
