Professional Documents
Culture Documents
and Marketing
A Publication of ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service • 1-800-346-9140 • www.attra.ncat.org
By Holly Hill The term ‘food miles’ refers to the distance food travels from the location where it is grown to the
NCAT Research location where it is consumed, or in other words, the distance food travels from farm to plate. Recent
Specialist studies have shown that this distance has been steadily increasing over the last fifty years. Studies
© 2008 NCAT estimate that processed food in the United States travels over 1,300 miles, and fresh produce travels
over 1,500 miles, before being consumed. This publication addresses how food miles are calculated,
investigates how food miles affect producers and consumers, and evaluates methods for curbing the
energy intensiveness of our food transportation system.
Contents
Introduction ..................... 1
Background ...................... 1
The Energy Embedded
In Our Food ...................... 2
Calculating Food
Miles .................................... 3
Food Miles and
Energy ................................ 5
What Producers Should
Know ................................... 6
Consumer
Considerations ................ 8
Food Miles Tools ........... 10
Conclusion ...................... 10
References ...................... 11
Eggs loaded for trucking to market near Chesterfield, SC. Photo by Dave Warren. Courtesy of USDA.
A
that air transport is the fastest growing
ir transpor-
The Weighted Total Source Distance mode of food distribution and although
tation is, (WTSD) formula was developed by the air transport accounts for only 1% of food
by far, the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture transport in the UK, it results in 11% of
most energy inten- and accounts for multiple-ingredient foods the country’s CO2 emissions. The UK report
sive means of trans- by calculating the weight and distance also estimated that the social and economic
porting food and traveled for each ingredi-
ent. Foods like f lavored
other goods. Fig.4: Energy use and emissions for different modes of freight transport.
yogurt, bread, and other Source: Transport for a Sustainable Future: The Case for Europe.(11)
processed foods would
employ the WTSD formula Rail Water Road Air
Primary energy
for calculating food miles. consumption 677 423 2,890 15,839
KJ/Tonne-km
While both WASD and Specific total emissions
WTSD convey an estimate g/Tonne-km
of the distance food trav- Carbon dioxide 41.0 30.0 207 1,260
els between the producer
and consumer, neither for- Hydrocarbons 0.06 0.04 0.3 2.0
Iowa regional
22,005 $35,208 501,714 134,230
semitrailer
Food Miles and Energy Iowa regional
43,564 $69,702 993,243 370,289
midsize truck
Is Local Food Less Energy Intensive? Iowa local -CSA
Proponents of reducing food miles often farmers market
small truck (gas)
49,359 $78,974 967,436 848,981
suggest that buying local food will reduce Iowa local insti-
the amount of energy involved in the trans- tutional small 88,265 $141,224 1,729,994 1,518,155
truck (gas)
portation process, as food sourced locally
travels shorter distances. The Leopold Cen- Fig.6: Estimated fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and distance traveled for conven-
tional, Iowa-based regional, and Iowa-based local food systems for produce.
ter for Sustainable Agriculture has con- Source: Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.
ducted several studies that compare the dis-
tance traveled by conventional versus local
foods. Figure 5 (below), compiled by the from the conventional system used 4 to 17
Leopold Center, compares food miles for times more fuel than the locally sourced
local versus conventional produce traveling food and emitted 5 to 17 times more CO2.(4)
to Iowa. In all cases, the locally grown food The Leopold Center used this information
travels a significantly shorter distance than to estimate the distance, fuel consumption
the conventionally sourced food. and CO2 emissions that could potentially be
saved by replacing 10% of the Iowa’s current
Another study conducted by the Leopold food system with regional or locally sourced
Center in 2001 investigated the distance food. This information is displayed in
that food traveled to institutional markets Figure 6 (above). It is interesting to note
such as hospitals and restaurants in Iowa that when the transportation method was
using three different food sources: conven- taken into account, the local food system
tional, Iowa-based regional and Iowa-based required more energy and emitted more CO2
local. The study found that food sourced than the regional system. This is because the
trucks supplying food locally
Fig. 5: Food miles for local versus conventional produce. had a smaller capacity, there-
Source: Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.
fore requiring more trips and
Produce Type Locally grown Conventional Source Estimation logging more miles.
WASD (miles) WASD (miles)
Apples 61 1,726 It has been shown that local
Beans 65 1,313 food systems do reduce food
Broccoli 20 1,846 miles, which in turn tend to
Cabbage 50 719 reduce energy consumption,
Carrots 27 1,838 but there are exceptions.
Corn, Sweet 20 1,426 Local transportation systems
Garlic 31 1,811 may not always be as efficient
Lettuce 43 1,823 as regional systems, depend-
Onions 35 1,759 ing on the mode of transport
Peppers 44 1,589 and load capacity.
Potatoes 75 1,155
Pumpkins 41 311
Does Reducing
Spinach 36 1,815
Squash 52 1,277
Food Miles Reduce
Strawberries 56 1,830 Energy Use?
Tomatoes 60 1,569 A Japanese group, Daichi-
WASD -for all produce 56 1,494 o -Mam or u Kai ( T he
Sum of all WASDs 716 25,301 Association to Preserve
www.attra.ncat.org ATTRA Page 5
uses less energy than housing and feeding
animals.(14)
The UK Department for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) released a
report in 2005, which determined that food
miles alone are not a valid indicator of the
sustainability of the food system. In some
cases, reducing food miles may reduce
energy use, but there may be other social,
environmental or economic trade-offs. The
consequences of food transport are complex
and require a group of indicators to deter-
mine the global impact of food miles.(13)
L
Marketing
the farmer and the growing demands of ife cycle
For producers, reducing food miles means
consumers for fresh, local food. assessment
selling products to a more local or regional
market. While, this may be an intimidating (LCA) is a
prospect for farmers who have no experience
Farm-to-Institution Programs
method used to ana-
with alternative markets, the opportunities Selling food directly to schools, hospitals, lyze the consumption
are significant and diverse, including farm- prisons and other institutions is becoming
and environmental
ers’ markets, CSAs and farm-to-institution an increasingly popular option. Selling food
to institutions creates a reliable market for burdens associated
programs, all of which are looking for local
producers. The following sections briefly the farmer and provides great health and with a product.
examine some of the markets and methods economic benefits to the consumer. Farm-to-
available for a producer looking to reduce institution programs also reduce food miles.
the energy involved in transporting food. The University of Montana’s Farm to College
program estimated that replacing a year’s
Direct Marketing supply of conventionally sourced hamburgers
and French fries with local ingredients saved
Direct marketing allows farmers to com-
43,000 gallons of fuel and the associated
pete with wholesale market channels and
greenhouse gasses from being emitted.(16)
mass supermarket systems, thereby creat-
For more information about setting up a farm-
ing a local food network and reducing the
to-institution program in your area, see the
distance that food travels. Direct marketing
ATTRA publication Bringing Local Foods to
networks could include farmers’ markets,
Local Institutions: A Resource Guide for Farm-
wholesale food terminals and community-
to-School and Farm-to-Institution Programs.
supported agriculture. The ATTRA publi-
cation Direct Marketing offers information
about alternative marketing systems, with
Ecolabels
an emphasis on value-added crops. Ecolabels offer one method for educating
consumers about locally grown, sustainably
Farmers’ Markets and CSAs raised foods, and have proven effective in
product marketing. An ecolabel is a seal or
Selling produce at farmers’ markets is one
a logo indicating that a product has met a
alternative marketing strategy available for
certain set of environmental and/or social
producers. By removing brokers from the
standards or attributes.
distribution chain, farmers are able to reap
a greater profit. Farmers’ markets also ben- The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agricul-
efit community interaction and economic ture has researched the impact that labeling
development. For more information about food with ecolabels containing information
www.attra.ncat.org ATTRA Page 7
such as food miles and CO2 emissions has Consumer Considerations
on consumers. The study aimed to deter-
mine consumer opinion of locally produced Consumer Demand
food and food miles. Surveys found that Producers may question the extent to
consumers were more responsive to labels which consumers are using food miles as
that focused on the food product’s fresh- a basis for their food choices. In general
ness and quality rather than environmen- food choices are no doubt based on price,
tal impact or CO2 emissions. Consumers taste and appearance and a large section of
perceive that locally grown food is fresher; the public knows and cares little about cli-
therefore ecolabels that contain information mate change, especially with regard to food
such as “locally grown by family farmers” choices.(19)
may be effective in influencing consumer
food choices. The study also found that There has been increasing demand for food
consumers are willing to pay more for food produced in accordance with ethical and
that has low environmental impacts.(17) environmental standards, however, such as
Figure 7 is an example of a food label organic and fair trade. Food mile concerns
containing food miles information. may grow as well. Increasing food security
and the domestic supply chain may be other
arguments for reducing food miles.
Table 1. What individuals can do to reduce food miles. Adapted from Brian Halweil’s Home Grown: the Case for Local Food in a Global Market. 2002.
Truck on highway near Petersburg, West Virginia. Photo by Ken Hammond. Courtesy of USDA.
5) Horrigan, Leo, et al. 2002. How Sustainable Agri- 15) Carlsson-Kanyama, Annika. 1998. Climate
change and dietary choices – how can emis-
culture can Address the Environment and
sions of greenhouse gases from food consump-
Human Health Harms of Industrial Agricul-
tion be reduced? http://seminar.mannlib.cornell.
ture. Environmental Health Perspectives. May edu/topics/food_security/resources/FS01.pdf
2002: 445-456. www.ehponline.org/members/
2002/110p445-456horrigan/EHP110p445PDF.PDF 16) Hassanein, Neva, et al. 2007. Tracing the Chain:
An in Depth Look at the University of Mon-
6) Eshel, Gidon and Pamela Martin. 2005. Diet, tana’s Farm to College Program.
Energy and Global Warming. University of www.growmontana.ncat.org/docs/tracing_the_
Chicago, Department of Geophysical Sciences. chain_e_summary_new.pdf
http://geosci.uchicago.edu/~gidon/papers/nutri/
nutri3.pdf 17) Pirog, Rich, et al. 2003. Ecolabel Value
Assessment: Consumer and Food Business
7) Heller, Martin C., and Gregory A. Keoleian. Life Perceptions of Local Foods. www.leopold.
Cycle-Based Sustainability Indicators for iastate.edu/pubs/staff/ecolabels/ecolabels.pdf
Assessment of the U.S. Food System. Ann
18) Sooter, Tad. 2006. Western Montana Growers
Arbor, MI: Center for Sustainable Systems, Go Beyond Organics and Get Local.
University of Michigan, 2000: 42. Report No. www.newwest.net/index.php/main/article/
CSS00-04. www.public.iastate.edu/~brummer/ bringing_organics_home/
papers/FoodSystemSustainability.pdf
19) Garnett, T. 2003. Wise moves. Exploring the rela-
8) Murray, Danielle. 2005. Oil and Food: A Ris- tionship between food, road transport and
ing Security Challenge. www.earthpolicy.org/ CO2. Transport2000. www.thepep.org/
Updates/2005/Update48.htm ClearingHouse/docfiles/wise_moves.pdf
9) Pirog, Rich. 2002. How Far Do Your Fruit 20) Steinfield, Henning et al. 2006. Livestock’s Long
and Vegetables Travel? Leopold Center for Shadow: Environmental issues and options.
Sustainable Agriculture. www.leopold.iastate. www.virtualcentre.org/en/library/key_pub/
edu/pubs/staff/ppp/food_chart0402.pdf longshad/A0701E00.pdf
www.attra.ncat.org ATTRA Page 11
Food Miles: Background and Marketing
By Holly Hill
NCAT Research Specialist
© 2008 NCAT
This publication is available on the Web at:
www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/foodmiles.html
or
www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/foodmiles.pdf
IP312
Slot 311
Version 010708
Page 12 ATTRA