Farm-to-Table is a popular movement with the aim of connecting local food producers to local consumers. Several restaurants in Vancouver have embraced this concept (here and here), and they are prime examples of using a sustainability issue as a marketing tool. Using local, in-season ingredients isn’t a new idea, but it doesn’t seem like restaurants have used it as a major differentiation point in the past. Advocates of the movement claim economic, environmental and health benefits to consuming local food.
“Food Miles”
Do these claims have merit? Well it depends on how you look at it. Money stays in the local economy and I personally find the taste of local food fresher. A major argument about supporting local food is that it travels less “food miles”, therefore less carbon emissions are generated. But “food miles” doesn’t show the whole picture. If 1 large truck traveled 1000 km and carried 1000 apples, and 10 local farmers carried 100 apples each and traveled 100 km, they basically covered the same distance for the same amount of food (assuming they burn about the same amount of fuel). “Food miles” actually makes up a small percentage of the overall carbon footprint of food (11%). How food is actually grown makes up about 83%. We really have to consider the whole lifecycle, from fertilization to disposal. Currently there is no standard for measuring the carbon footprint of food. It is difficult to try and come up with the exact emissions for a food product because there are many factors to consider and not every one of these factors is being measured.
What can we do?
A couple months ago, while I was having dinner at Fable Kitchen (which prides itself on the Farm-to-Table concept), I had the chance to speak with the Head Chef, Trevor Bird. He stressed the need to be an educated consumer and that it is often much easier to measure the carbon emissions from local farms. It is also beneficial for businesses to build relationships with local food purveyors and other food establishments to try and figure out efficient ways to improve the local food economy. He was also looking into programs such as Bullfrog Power. It is akin to buying carbon offsets. You are paying for the Bullfrog Power to inject green, renewable energy into the grid on your behalf. I’m not convinced with the Bullfrog Power model but I digress. So what are we to do in the meantime? I probably won’t be trying to calculate the carbon emissions from my grocery trips, but I can eat less meat (growing livestock is a very inefficient process) and buy certified organic whenever possible.
-JN