Eat Local can do more harm than good

The debate over the ethical and environment credentials of local and imported food has taken a swing towards reason with a new study produced by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and charity Oxfam.

Fair Miles: Recharting the Food Miles Map warns that western consumer concern over climate change can do more harm than good if it cuts demand for food produced in developing nations. The report’s authors caution that food produced locally can cause greater emissions of greenhouse gases, and that consumers can harm the livelihoods of poor growers in developing nations if they stop buying their produce.

The publication was launched at the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen and has been produced in response to growing calls for consumers to eat local to help tackle climate change. IIED’s

James MacGregor said: “Climate change will hit poorer rural people in developing nations first, fastest and hardest. The trade in fresh produce is one part of a global solution to this challenge. More than one million livelihoods in rural Africa are supported in part by UK consumption of imported fresh produce.

"We urge consumers to avoid knee-jerk reactions and think instead of 'fair miles' and recognise that there are also social and ethical aspects to choices about where food comes from.”