Feeding the Interest - Community Food and Health

environmentThe benefits of local food systems extend far beyond the marketplace.Fewer road miles, less packaging, environmentally friendly farmingsystems, stronger local economies and the preservation of regionalspecialities are all potential benefits that make for a healthierenvironment and population.Consumers are increasingly concerned about how food is produced,including chemical use, rearing practice, animal welfare, biodiversity,quality, traceability, origin and the impact on their health. Localmarkets, farmers markets and direct sales provide an opportunity forthese concerns to be listened to and acted on.The Countryside Agency’s Eat the View initiative in England vii encourageslinks between environmentally-sound production and local food. Thisincludes showing consumers that they can support the local countrysideby choosing local products produced using sustainable methods.environmentkey questionsHow can local food systemscontribute to sustainabledevelopment?What would enable consumersto support local foods producedin an environmentally friendlyway?The cost of conventionally produced food rarely reflects the externalfactors associated with producing it, for example acid rain or globalwarming resulting from pollution from transport. There are manyenvironmental and consumer concerns linked to conventionallyproduced food. These include the use of irradiation, food additivesand antibiotics; genetic engineering; or high levels of pesticides andchemical inputs. The local food sector generally aims to reject all ofthese. There is an increasing association between tourism, food andthe environment. For example, a study commissioned by the SouthernUplands Partnership to investigate the potential for developing a ‘greenlabel’ for the area concluded that linking sustainable production with localbranding could provide opportunities to add value and make productsmore marketable viii .There is a need for more research into the environmental impact offood production, as well as clear policies to link biodiversity, pollution,food miles and wider sustainability issues. It is also important to sharegood practice from initiatives already developed.12vii www.eat-the-view.org.ukviii Review of Potential for Green Labelling in the Southern Uplands, RSK ERA Ltd for the Southern Uplands Partnership, 10 2002