Mass-Market Local in UK
OCTOBER 17, 2007 - A new study published by the U.K.’s National Consumer Council (NCC) tracks the greening of British supermarkets and finds local eating is becoming more accessible and affordable, arguably setting a standard for the rest of the world. There is still a long way to go (the average overall grade given to the greengrocers was a ‘D’), but the availability of ten in-season U.K. foods ranged as high of 80 percent in some stores - a local-foods figure few North American grocery chains could come close to matching. That said, the researchers still found products coming in from Israel, Egypt, Honduras, and Argentina that were abundant and seasonal in the U.K. at the time of the study.
“The largest review of the evidence yet shows that the food we eat is responsible for 31 percent of the average European household’s impact on climate change.” As a result, the NCC urges supermarkets to “source, clearly identify and promote U.K. seasonal produce all year round, in order to help consumers eat sustainably.” Some corporations, like Sainsbury’s, are beginning to work with farmers to support local production, while Tesco has set a target of having no more than 1 percent of its food arrive by air freight. Not bad - by why not zero percent?
What is truly exciting is the fact that mass-market grocers are going green at all. Many are now finding ways to make sustainble fish products, local produce, and Fairtrade and organic foods affordable and available to any budget. “It proves that the green choice doesn’t need to be the preserve of the affluent,” says Lucy Yates, a policy advocate with the NCC. That’s something many 100-milers already know (we recently bought local, organic tomatoes for 50 cents/lbs), but it’s a message that needs to be broadcast far and wide. -JBM
