Institute For The Future

What impact does dinner have?

Today's entry comes from my colleague, Jason Tester, at IFTF. He shares a news story from The Guardian about eco-diets and food miles.

Consumers need more information about the environmental impact of the food in their shopping basket if they are to make eco-friendly choices, according to researchers who have carried out a detailed analysis of the ecological costs associated with food. They argue that the focus on "food miles" is missing the bigger picture and may be counter-productive.

Food stores such as Tesco and Marks & Spencer have said that they will label products that have been transported by air. But according to the researchers, only around 2% of the environmental impact of food comes from transporting it from farm to shop. The vast majority of its ecological footprint comes from food processing, storage, packaging and growing conditions. So food grown locally could have a considerably bigger footprint than food flown halfway around the world, and consumers who make their choices on air miles alone may be doing more environmental harm, according to the scientists.

The Health Horizons Program is following stories like this as part of our Foodscapes project, which is exploring the landscape of food trends, evolving consumer needs, ecological niches, food conflicts, and demographic changes. To learn more about Foodscapes, please contact Lea Gamble.