THE LONG WAY ROUND: Is shipping lamb all the way from New Zealand really less environmentally conscious han sticking to locally-produced meat?

摘要

Food miles — the distance food travels from farm to consumer — seems to be the latest phrase on everyone's lips. From politicians to celebrity chefs, talking about reducing food miles is apparently a way to demonstrate concern for the environment and a campaigning spirit. But while it is undoubtedly a good thing that food and its production are becoming topics of general conversation, misinformation is as prevalent as local food is fashionable. Placing emphasis on food miles as a measure of environmental friendliness means that examining other factors, such as the energy costs of local farming versus foreign farming, are neglected, which leads to confusion and misreported facts.