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Does Eating Local Food Reduce the Environmental Impact of Food Production and Enhance Consumer Health?
Abstract
The concept of local food has gained traction in the media, engaged consumers and offered farmers a new marketing tool. Positive claims about the benefits of local food are probably not harmful when made by small-scale producers at the local level; however, greater concern would arise should such claims be echoed in policy circles. This review examines the evidence base supporting claims about the environmental and health benefits of local food. The results do not offer any support for claims that local food is universally superior to non-local food in terms of its impact on the climate or the health of consumers. Indeed several examples are presented that demonstrate that local food can on occasions be inferior to non-local food. The analysis also considers the impact on greenhouse gas emissions of moving the UK towards self-sufficiency. Quantitative evidence is absent on the changes in overall emissions that would occur if the UK switched to self-sufficiency. A qualitative assessment suggests the emissions per item of food would probably be greater under a scenario of self-sufficiency than under the current food system. The review does not identify any generalisable or systematic benefits to the environment or human health that arise from the consumption of local food in preference to non-local food.
... Relational proximity can be compared to the concept of relational marketing (Bergada a and Del Bucchia, 2009) where it is characterized by an important affective content (Damp erat, 2006) since it develops feelings of trust and attachment (Capo and Chanut, 2013). Relational proximity could thus represent the relationships built between actors who are reconnected by alternative distribution practices (Edwards- Jones, 2010;Eriksen, 2013;Feagan, 2007;Hinrichs, 2000;Holloway et al., 2007). ...
... A local food product is therefore not reduced to a simple transactional exchange, but is rather an opportunity to build long-term relationships with all industry stakeholders (Bergada a and Del Bucchia, 2009). Relational proximity represents the relationships built between local actors who are reconnected by alternative production and distribution practices (Edwards-Jones, 2010;Eriksen, 2013;Feagan, 2007). In addition, respondents claim that local food is a product around which there is a significant sharing of knowledge. ...
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the definition of local food through the concept of perceived proximity in order to improve the understanding of food locality and to propose a new framework for analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents an exploratory research through 32 semi-structured interviews with six agri-food industry stakeholders carried out in Quebec, Canada. Thematic analysis is used to identify the main dimensions of the proximity of a local food. A conceptual framework based on the results is presented.
Findings
The results suggest that local food can be defined according to nine dimensions of proximity: geographic, process, price, identity, relational, functional, cultural, access and experiential.
Originality/value
This study allows the concept of local food to be broken down into a constellation of perceived proximities and expands the understanding of the differences in the perception of food locality.
... Moreover, the practices of many producers in local food systems (e.g., crop rotation, creation of field borders to provide a refuge for native biodiversity, packaging reduction, or moderation in the use of fertilizers and chemicals) contribute to reducing the ecological footprint of food production [6,7]. According to other studies, local food supply chains may have a higher environmental impact than non-local food supply chains, for example when local food is cultivated in heated glasshouses [8,9]. This debate highlights the need to consider the complexity of food supply chains, whose environmental impact is not determined only by the distance traveled by food, but also by production methods and processes' efficiency [9,10]. ...
... According to other studies, local food supply chains may have a higher environmental impact than non-local food supply chains, for example when local food is cultivated in heated glasshouses [8,9]. This debate highlights the need to consider the complexity of food supply chains, whose environmental impact is not determined only by the distance traveled by food, but also by production methods and processes' efficiency [9,10]. For this reason, in the present study participants were presented with the environmental benefits of local food considering not only the geographical proximity but also the sustainable production/distribution methods adopted by the local farmers who do not follow the large-scale distribution logic. ...
Although local food purchasing provides several benefits to both consumers and producers, research on what recommendation messages can effectively promote the purchase of local food is still lacking. In the present study, 410 participants were involved in a 2-week intervention relying on prefactual (i.e., “If … then”) messages promoting the purchase of local food. All messages were sent through a research app to participants’ mobile phones and were focused on environmental consequences of purchasing (or not purchasing) local food. Four experimental conditions involving messages differing as to outcome sensitivity framing (i.e., gain, non-loss, non-gain and loss) were compared to a control condition. To test the effectiveness of the messages, before and after the 2-week intervention participants were involved in a choice task. They were asked to choose among fruits with different provenience, that is, from the participants’ municipality of residence or abroad. Results showed that all message frames increased the selection of local food, compared to control. Furthermore, pro-environmental consumers were more persuaded by messages formulated in terms of gains and non-gains, whereas healthy consumers were more persuaded by messages formulated in terms of losses or non-losses. Discussion focuses on the advantages of tailored communication to promote the purchase of local food.
... Yerel yiyeceğin tanımlanmasında kullanılan diğer bir yaklaşım ise sosyal ilişkilere dayanmaktadır (Hinrichs 2000;Brown, 2003;Selfa ve Qazi, 2005;Feagan 2007;Edwards-Jones 2010;Mount, 2012;Wägeli ve Hamm, 2013;Eriksen 2013;Trivette, 2015). Burada sosyal ilişkilerden kastedilen yerel yiyecek üreticileri, perakendeciler ve tüketiciler arasında bir ilişki oluşması ve var olan ilişkilerin kuvvetlenmesidir (Eriksen, 2013:51). ...
Bu araştırmanın amacı, yiyecek imajı ile turist sadakati arasındaki ilişkide yerel yiyecek tüketim değerlerinin aracılık rolünü tespit etmektir. Çalışmanın araştırma alanı için İstanbul ve Antalya destinasyonları seçilmiş ve araştırmanın örneklemini İstanbul ve Antalya’yı ziyaret eden yabancı turistler oluşturmuştur. Araştırma verileri kapsamlı bir alanyazın taramasından sonra oluşturulan anket formu aracılığıyla yüz yüze toplanmıştır. İngilizce, Rusça ve Almanca dillerinde hazırlanan anket formları, turistlerin yoğun olduğu ve sıklıkla ziyaret ettiği alanlarda 22 Haziran ve 30 Temmuz 2021 tarihilerinde toplanmıştır. Araştırmada kolay ulaşılabilir ve amaçlı örnekleme yöntemleri birlikte kullanılmıştır. İlgili destinasyonları ziyaret eden 659 yabancı turistten elde edilen verilerle analizler gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışmanın amacı
kapsamında geliştirilen hipotezlerin test edilmesinde Yapısal Eşitlik Modellemesi (YEM)
kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen sonuçlara göre yiyecek imajının yerel yiyecek tüketim değerlerini belirlemede etkili olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Dahası, yiyecek imajının turist sadakatini olumlu ve anlamlı yönde etkilediği tespit edilmiştir. Lezzet/kalite değeri, epistemik değer ve etkileşim değerinin yiyecek imajı ve turist sadakati arasındaki ilişkiye aracılık ettiği sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Araştırmadan elde edilen bulgulara dayanarak, uygulamaya ve ileride yapılacak araştırmalara yönelik önerilerde bulunulmuştur.
... The transport home from the grocery store is one of the largest shares of GHG emissions of a product from a life cycle perspective [143]. In certain cases, the generated GHG emission of an imported product can be lower than that of a local product [144]. Wind, tidal, and geothermal energies show promise for low carbon footprints [145]. ...
Closed plant production systems are generally considered sustainable. Such systems are capable of minimizing externalities due to resource recycling. There are two systems, apparently diverging, recently considered as the counterparts of today’s conventional agricultural practice: organic farming (OF) and plant factories (PFs). With a strong regulatory background, OF integrates plant production into natural ecosystems by minimizing agrochemical use, while PFs create an artificial environment where all factors can be fine-tuned according to the needs of the crop. In this study, both systems are investigated based on their similarities and constraints; for this, three pillars of production were selected as indicators and reviewed for sustainability based on literature data: I. regulatory background, II. growing media use, III. species use, along with certain socio-economic factors. The reasons for co-existence were highlighted in every aspect. Alternatives for sustainable growing media use are introduced. PF-targeted species selection and variety breeding are necessary to maximize facility utilization. The main barriers to system interoperability are identified in growing media use and regulatory restrictions. The present global processes envisage the trends of the future, such as threats of living ecosystems, plant species allocation, urbanization impacts, agricultural intensification, economics of PFs, local supply chains, education about OF and PFs, consumer acceptance of OF and PF products, and discrepancies in global regulations. These aspects will certainly trigger further research in the scientific community.
... In recent times, despite ever-growing globalization, much attention has been paid to local food production in an effort to enhance social and environmental sustainability [1]. The development of traditional food products (TFPs) has been proven to have many benefits, from the lower impact of short food supply chains with respect to long ones [2][3][4][5] to the protection of existing local economies, along with the promotion of economic growth, enhancement of food safety, activation of social capital, preservation of some areas from depopulation, communication of the territory's culture, and strengthening of the relationship between consumers and producers [6][7][8]. ...
Traditional food products (TFPs) represent a defining part of one's culture, identity, and heritage with crucial economic, cultural, and environmental benefits in society. Younger generations have a positive idea of TFPs, even if this does not lead to actual purchase, possibly due to the fact that they are often perceived to not meet safety criteria. This study focuses on product communication (CP) and packaging referring to the territory (PT) and to sustainability (SP) in order to verify if these have a direct or mediated impact on perceived product safety (PPS). A structural equation model was conducted on a sample of 1079 young Italian cheese consumers. The results allowed us to confirm the hypothesized impact of CP on PPS through the mediation of PT and, particularly, SP. SP has a crucial communicative role in the model, demonstrating the ability to enhance the perception of the safety of TFPs. This research adds to the knowledge in the field of TFPs, focusing on communication and sustainable packaging as crucial factors conveying healthiness, nutritiousness, and perceived safety, consequently leading to a greater diffusion of the products themselves in the market.
... The present study indicates that established, high-income urban inhabitants, who have the most local consumption foodshed due to being active in urban agricultural activities, have lower levels of severe food insecurity, and enjoy a more diverse diet (Supplementary Table 2). However, the nutritional quality of the food grown in and around Kampala should be assessed as, in some cases, local food can be inferior to non-local food 63 . More research is required to assess how these future scenarios will affect Uganda's food self-sufficiency and, in turn, the food security levels of its (urban) inhabitants, either negatively or positively. ...
Due to rapid urbanisation, food systems in sub-Saharan African cities are increasingly under pressure. Through the lens of a foodshed, this paper quantitatively analyses the spatial extent of the food provisioning area for consumers of different socio-economic status in Kampala (Uganda). Based on a primary dataset of surveys with households and food vendors, we map the foodshed by registering where consumers obtain their food, and the origin of where it is grown. We show that 50% of the food consumed in the city originates from within a 120 km proximity to Kampala, including 10% from within the city itself. At present, urban agricultural activities are twice as important as international imports for the urban food provision. Established, high-income urban dwellers have a more local foodshed due to their broad participation in urban agriculture, while low-income newcomers rely heavily on retailers who source food from rural Uganda.
... Currently, shrimp aquaculture in SE-Sulawesi relies on the microalgae supply from South Sulawesi and Java regions that impose high operational costs to aquaculture farms and hatcheries in the region. Importing microalgae from other regions also increases greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to transportation (Edwards-Jones, 2010). To reduce both this cost and GHG emissions, the use of locally-isolated, cultured microalgae for local hatchery may be considered. ...
The growth of the dinoflagellate, Scrippsiella sp. from Narragansett Bay, USA and the chain-forming benthic diatom, Melosira cf. moniliformis from Kendari Bay, Indonesia was evaluated under optimized laboratory conditions to investigate potential new candidates for shrimp aquaculture hatchery feeds. Isolation of microalgae was performed using capillary pipets in f/8-Si for Scrippsiella sp. and f/2 for M. cf. moniliformis. Isolated cells were placed in an incubator with a photoperiod of 12:12 hour (light : dark cycle), at light intensities of 62-89 μmol photons.m-2.s and at temperature of 20oC. Microalgae cells were cultured in 150-mL Erlenmeyer flasks containing 100 mL of f/2-Si medium for Scrippsiella spin triplicates and in 50-mL culture tubes containing 20 mL of f/2 medium for M. cf. moniliformis in four replicates. The cells in culture flasks were used in cell counting experiments while those in tubes were for fluorometer trials. Growth evaluation was conducted every 2-3 days. The diatom, M. cf. moniliformis was in logarithmic phase when observed at 2 to 7 days after inoculation and showed a high growth rate (μ = 0.52 day-1) and high division rate (k = 0.76 day-1, 1 division every 1.3 days). Logarithmic phase of Scrippsiella in culture flasks was started on day 7 to 30 (μ = 0.17 day-1 and k = 0.25 day-1 or 1 division every 4 days). In culture tubes, Scrippsiella sp. reached logarithmic phase at day 21 to 47 (μ = 0.12 day-1 and k = 0.18 day-1, 1 division every 5.65 days). This study indicates that M. cf. moniliformis can be used for aquaculture hatcheries feed but further study for the nutrition composition is needed. Scrippsiella sp. is potentially toxic for aquaculture at high densities, therefore they should be assessed carefully if used for aquaculture feeds.
... As a result, there is much promise for the re-localization of food systems, a focus on small-scale local food systems consisting of short supply networks, and inter-city and inter-regional exchanges for the sharing and discussion of diverse practices (Chiffoleau et al., 2016;Hebinck et al., 2021;Giordano, 2022). However, local food systems' social, economic, and environmental factors are highly dependent on the type of supply chain being evaluated, and there are significant differences among commodity types and countries, which does not necessarily mean that local food is inherently superior (Edwards-Jones, 2010;Kiss et al., 2019;Stein and Santini, 2021). Moreover, incentives and disincentives to participate in local food systems vary depending on the quantity and nature of production and consumption, the geography of production and consumption areas, the mix of products and distribution channels, and policy and practice constraints (Lamie and Deller, 2020;El Bilali et al., 2021). ...
Local food systems are complex, and there is no single direct way to address their sustainability transition successfully. Therefore, a system transformation approach called 'co-evolution' is needed. Co-evolution requires continuous cooperation and participation of people from different community sectors and spaces for recursive mutual learning. This paper focuses on the secondary effects of citizen surveys on food systems on the actors involved and how citizen surveys experience can cultivate the conditions for co-evolution. The authors supported a 6-month “transition seminar”, a series of learning programs for visioning, fieldwork, analysis of findings, and recommendations for sustainability transitions in local food systems, organized by high school students. This seminar was conducted in 2017 at a high school in Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, Japan, at the request of one of the students. The seminar was held for 8 sessions in total for about 30 high school students who requested it, with the theme of transforming the local food system in the Noshiro area. Participants developed a vision of a desirable local food system under the theme of “the community's ideal food system 30 years from now,” conducted fieldwork surveys, planned to realize the vision, and made policy proposals to the mayor of Noshiro. After the seminar, the result of the group interview shows that the fieldwork survey experience, in particular, had a long-term impact on participants' understanding of and ability to reflect on the food system and policies in the Noshiro area. In addition, interviews conducted in 2019 confirmed various secondary effects, including increased interest and networking among participating high school students, teachers, and stakeholders. This result suggests that citizen surveys for sustainable food systems have spillover various positive effects on stakeholders, including providers (researchers). Moreover, citizen surveys experience support collaboration and participation between different community sectors and space for recursive mutual learning and cultivate conditions for co-evolution.
... [88]) and environmental (e.g. [89]) benefits of such initiatives [90]; others point to weak supporting evidence [91], and argue that buying globally benefits the world's poorest communities while carbon offsetting can help mitigate the environmental footprint of transportation [92]. Nevertheless, the supply of locally caught sea fish (e.g. through Community Supported Fisheries) will reduce the energy costs of harvest, processing and transportation typically associated with longer supply chains without the need for offsetting, the value of which is both empirically and ethically contested (e.g. ...
Having left the European Union, the UK Fisheries Act (hereafter referred to as the Act) provides a framework that may advance sustainable marine resource management. This requires the bias towards social-economic concerns to be recognised, and greater emphasis to be placed on securing the natural capital to support fisheries. A Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS) to be published in 2022 by the UK’s devolved fisheries authorities will set out how the objectives of the Act will be achieved. While recognising the value of principles of the Act, this article challenges the current management framework in light of the wider challenges in fisheries practice. It argues for more emphasis on ecological and fisheries regeneration, and maximising societal benefits rather than yields. Three recommendations are provided: (1) an integrated and more holistic Fisheries-Energy-Environment Nexus resource management approach would better utilise systems thinking to optimise trade-offs and synergies between competing domains to achieve fisheries, conservation and other environmental goals (e.g. delivering the national net zero strategy); (2) the use of best available technologies as is reasonably practicable to monitor compliance and facilitate enforcement should be a regulatory requirement under the JFS; (3) the fisheries and marine conservation science community should work with other stakeholders to change the media narrative, public opinion, and political direction away from a “business-as-usual” model that risks long-term degradation of the marine fisheries resource.
... Because of a reduced reliance on transportation, local production can indeed be a more environmentally friendly option. However, the overall performance in terms of energy consumption and environmental footprint must still be taken into account in order to perform a fair comparison (Edwards-Jones, 2010;Schäufele & Hamm, 2017). ...
Previous research on wine consumers’ attitudes, perceptions, and purchasing behavior regarding environmentally friendly wines has confirmed that consumers are interested in this type of wine but, have little awareness of environmental wine practices and certifications. To address this, the most common solution proposed has been to improve communication with consumers on this topic. However, few studies have questioned consumers about their expectations of environmentally friendly wines. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore wine buyers’ expectations of a wine that would be respectful of the environment. A second objective was to identify the respondent’s characteristics influencing their expectations. A textual analysis was conducted with respondents’ answers. A Reinert descendent classification, using Iramuteq software, distributed these responses into ten clusters. The term ‘respectful of the environment proved to be polysemic. Wine buyers imagined that an environmentally friendly wine would respect the health of both people and the environment, be ethically produced, and be accessible from a price point of view. Some respondents also mentioned hedonic characteristics.
Highlights
• A lexical analysis identified ten clusters of topics mentioned by wine buyers.
• The term environment proved to be polysemic.
• Respondents expected a wine that would be ecofriendly, ethic, healthy, local and made with a limited use of inputs and additives.
• The age, the degree of involvement in wine and environmental issues and the use of an environmental label as a buying criterion, influenced wine buyers’ expectations.
• Non-wine consumers or respondents less involved in wine and in the environment, were more associated with a cluster regarding wine hedonic characteristics and price.
... Aux échelles territoriales, nationales ou internationales, l'agroécologie nécessite de prendre en compte les interactions avec de nombreux acteurs du territoire, qui de concert peuvent agir en vue de la protection de la biodiversité et de la diminution de l'impact environnemental des activités agricoles (Berthet et al., 2018). Le levier majeur à cette échelle se fait principalement sur le transport des intrants agricoles, des produits agricoles, et de leurs dérivés transformés (Caputo et al., 2013;Edwards-Jones, 2010;Konieczny et al., 2013). ...
L’agriculture intensive a de nombreuses externalités négatives. De plus en plus d’études mettent en évidence desmoyens de les réduire, en substituant les intrants chimiques par des pratiques agroécologiques, valorisant lessolutions fondées sur la nature. La compétition pourrait être un levier agroécologique pour réguler les plantesadventices et ainsi réduire les pertes de rendement. Si les plantes adventices préemptent les ressources aux plantesde cultures, la capacité compétitrice des plantes de culture et l’effet sur la limitation d’accès aux ressources pourles plantes adventices reste peu étudiée. Cette thèse a pour objectif de comprendre et quantifier le rôle de lacompétition sur l’assemblage des plantes adventices des parcelles de grandes cultures de la Zone Atelier Plaine &Val de Sèvre, en tenant compte des effets des pratiques agricoles et des caractéristiques paysagères. Je montre quela compétition est un mécanisme majeur de la diversité et de l’abondance des assemblages dans les parcelles, etqu’elle surpasse l’effet des pratiques. Si ces dernières ont souvent des effets négatifs sur la diversité florale, ellesn’ont pas toujours d’effet positif sur la production agricole. Ces effets sont très dépendants du contexte, tel que lacomposition du paysage, le type de culture, et la localisation de l’assemblage dans la parcelle. Enfin, certainséléments du paysage, riches en espèces, peuvent être préservés dans un but de gérer durablement lesagroécosystèmes et conserver la biodiversité. En conclusion, la réduction des intrants chimiques semble possibleet ces travaux ouvrent de nouvelles perspectives pour la transition agroécologique, et une agriculture plus durable.
... These two attributes seem related to a hedonistic viewpoint, where consumers care for their personal health ( Feldmann and Hamm, 2015 ). Usually, consumers perceive local food products to be heathier than conventional food because they associate local food to fresh products, such as fruit and vegetables ( Edwards-Jones, 2010 ;Feldmann and Hamm, 2015 ). A diet high on fruits and vegetables probably has health benefits. ...
The consumption of local food products is a trend in several countries. Governments have developed strategies to stimulate the production and consumption of local food products, which in turn might empower the local economy. This study aimed to identify the importance of local food products attributes in Brazil. An online survey was conducted, and a dual-response Best-worst scaling method was applied to sample of 205 Brazilian consumers. Results of the Hierarchical Bayes analyses showed that the order from the most to the least important attributes were: (1) Healthiness, (2) Safety, (3) Animal welfare, (4) Environmental impact, (5) Support of the local economy, (6) Taste, (7) Price, (8) Availability, (9) Traceability, (10) Place of origin, (11) Convenience. Based on the results, managerial implications are presented.
... Relational proximity can be compared to the concept of relational marketing [51] where it is characterized by an important affective content [59] since it develops feelings of attachment [54]. Relational proximity represents the relationships built between actors who are reconnected by alternative distribution practices [3,8,58,60,61]. Indeed, relational proximity is another component of the definition of a local food product around which social and friendly relationships, knowledge, trust, personalization, and collaboration are organized [39]. A local food product is therefore not reduced to a simple transactional exchange, but is rather an opportunity to build long-term relationships with all industry stakeholders [51]. ...
The consumption of local food, a major trend in industrialized countries around the world has experienced an unprecedented craze in the pandemic context that we are experiencing. Since the beginning of the crisis and in various media, communication about local food seems inconsistent. However, companies would have every interest in better communicating the multifaceted areas of the locality that customers value or adopting the same language if they wish to collaborate with each other. This research aims to identify and evaluate the “fit” or the “gap” of the different local food’ meanings of Canadian agri-food stakeholders through data mining of one of their communication media: Twitter. Using tweets by over 1300 Twitter accounts from Canadian agri-food companies and a popular hashtag, we analyze a sample of their tweets in 2019 and 2020 by creating and using a local food’ keyword dictionary based on the concept of proximity. Term frequency and multivariate analysis of variance of 16,585 tweets about local food show significant differences in dimensions of proximity used in communications. This study shows the interest of using the concept of proximity to better define and understand the valuation of local food products. In addition, it offers a methodology capable of distinguishing the nuances of meaning of the locality of products using natural data that is accessible via social media.
... In many of the reviewed studies, procuring local food is assumed to be environmentally beneficial due to reduced transportation or reduced food miles. Notwithstanding, as stipulated by previous studies, the use of food miles to account for environmental sustainability may not be a good proxy for sustainability, although it continues to be represented in the discourse on food sustainability [113][114][115] and is often used in public procurement of food as important aspect [38,116]. However, the procurement from local producers was also perceived as a risk in the supply chain for some procuring authorities and partners, where a preference toward more established companies was preferred to ensure the economic viability of the procurement, see, e.g., [28]. ...
Public procurement has been recognized as a tool to promote more sustainable production and consumption practices. As such, an increasing body of literature has become available in recent years focusing on the sustainable public procurement of food. This article reviews the literature on the sustainable public procurement of food with the aim to analyze how sustainability is framed. This is done by analyzing what aspects of sustainability are emphasized and what practices are identified as sustainable. A systematic literature review was conducted between the years 2000 and 2020, identifying 103 articles. Results from the literature review indicate that the focus has primarily been on studies to evaluate and explore policy and good practices for procuring sustainable foods. A dominant focus on specific foods types and origins, e.g., those locally sourced and organic foods, is highlighted by a large share of the literature to address all three sustainability pillars. We observed that most articles focus on all three pillars of sustainability (environmental, social, and economic), addressing different aspects and types of foods, although the focus varied depending upon geographic location. Despite many studies identifying opportunities and potential, few articles assess the sustainability or outcomes of procurement processes through quantitative or qualitative methods or how actors in the procurement process can improve procurement toward more sustainable foods. This indicates a need for further case studies and guidelines to measure the development, progress, and performance of public food procurement.
Keywords:public procurement; food; sustainable; policy; purchase; organic; local; green public procurement (GPP); sustainable public procurement (SPP)
... Whereas, centralized cellular agriculture plants can be built where there are favorable conditions for production, such as access to sustainable energy, warmer climates, and easy access to inputs, decentralized models would optimize for proximity to the consumer (Veldhuis et al., 2019). Combined with the footprint of transportation and the reduced economies of scale, it is currently unclear whether decentralized cellular agriculture supply systems would produce fewer GHG emissions in total than would centralized systems (Edwards-Jones, 2010;Avetisyan et al., 2014;Brunori et al., 2016). Further comparative sustainability assessments of cellular agriculture supply system models are required. ...
Cellular agriculture, the manufacturing of animal-sourced foods by cell cultures, may promote food security by providing a food source that is available, accessible, utilized, and stable. The extent to which cellular agriculture can promote food security, however, will depend in part on the supply system by which it produces food. Many cellular agriculture companies appear poised to follow a centralized supply system, in which production is concentrated within a small number of large plants and products are distributed over a wide area. This model benefits from economies of scale, but has several weaknesses to food security. By being built of a handful of plants with products distributed by a large transportation network, the centralized model is vulnerable to closures, as became clear for animal-sourced centralized system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cellular agriculture systems are being built now; therefore, alternative supply system models of decentralized and distributed systems should be considered as the systems of cellular agriculture production are established. This paper defines both the requirements of food security and three possible supply system models that cellular agriculture could take and evaluates each model based on the requirements of food security.
... However, the way in which territorialized food systems provide these agroecosystem services was not clearly described and some of the studies reviewed did not use any measurement to support these statements. Although it is assumed that alternative and local food systems are inherently good for the environment due to their very nature [43], very limited evidence from empirical studies supports these purported benefits [53,54]. Findings regarding the carbon footprint of territorialized food systems were somewhat contradictory and inconsistent. ...
The global food system is facing multiple problems, including rising food insecurity, degrading environments, and an increased incidence of diet-related chronic diseases. International organizations are thus calling for a transition toward territorialized food systems to alleviate some of these challenges. Yet, limited evidence supporting the benefits of territorialized food systems is available. Our objective was to summarize the current body of literature on territorialized food systems and their impacts on human health, food security, and the environment using a rapid review methodology. Articles were retrieved from three databases and analyzed using keywords and inclusion criteria corresponding to territorialized food systems, environment, human health, and food security. Six relevant publications were identified. While this limited evidence suggests that territorialized food systems may have positive effects on all three dimensions, data are not consistent across publications. For example, territorialized food systems may contribute to improved diet quality, provide agroecosystem services, and contribute to food security. However, food produced within these food systems may have a higher carbon footprint and be less available than industrially produced food. This rapid review also highlights the siloed nature of the current research on territorialized food systems and emphasizes the need for more holistic and interdisciplinary research.
... More ethical considerations regarding the consumption of crops off-season or transported over long distances may apply, although in this case, being within the season and within a reasonable distance, these factors are not considered significant. Several authors also highlight the need to perform further studies to challenge the common idea that local, seasonal food has a lower impact on the environment, which has not yet been solidly proven [33]. ...
Tomato is one of the most common crops across the world, but it is also one of the types of food that generates the most losses across its life cycle. This paper addresses this issue by providing a Life Cycle Analysis of greenhouse grown tomato in southern Spain. The results confirm that tomatoes are a thirsty and frail crop. Most of its energy demands and carbon emissions go to packaging (35%) and transportation (42%) as well as supplying water for their growth. There seems to be room for improvement in the recovery of energy (54.6%) and CO2 emissions, mainly addressing the waste treatment of packaging and plastic as well as improving transportation. Despite being highly water demanding, irrigation processes are already efficient in industrial greenhouses, and most of the water recovery will need to take place in the waste recovery stage. Food losses at the consumption phases do not constitute a significant loss in energy or a significant amount of carbon emissions saved.
... In the case of existing labels focusing on single indicators, the positive impact of the promoted attributes (e.g., local and organic) is often overestimated by consumers, compared to non-targeted, but other crucial variables, such as resource use and mode of transportation (Coley et al., 2011;Edwards-Jones, 2010;Edwards-Jones et al., 2008;Shi et al., 2018;Thibert and Badami, 2011;Tobler et al., 2011b). As a result, misconceptions regarding the environmental impact of food prevail (Lazzarini et al., 2016;Tobler et al., 2011a) pointing to the need for an adequate, comprehensible label that provides relevant information. ...
Consumers' food choices play a crucial role in the shift toward increased sustainability. However, consumers' knowledge about daily food items is not sufficient to evoke environmentally friendly food choices. To facilitate a shift towards more sustainable food consumption, providing understandable information about the environmental impact of products in an easily accessible and effective way seems to be promising. With this outcome in view, we created a new label and tested its effectiveness in improving people's accuracy in evaluating the environmental friendliness of food products. The proposed label is based on life cycle assessment (LCA) and designed to compare food items across food categories through a color-coded scheme. In an online choice task, participants were asked to choose the more environmentally friendly product of two options. Depending on the condition, the products were either labeled or not. As expected, the number of correct choices was significantly higher when the products were labeled (vs. not). Moreover, participants had a positive attitude toward the cross-category label; they evaluated it as comprehensible, credible and useful. The majority of participants indicated that they would be willing to include the label in their shopping decisions, if it were introduced to the market. Altogether, the present research provides evidence that a color-coded sustainability label is suitable for informing consumers about the environmental impact of food products and helps them identify environmentally friendly products.
... However, reduction of transport distances and losses might not always result in a net climate change benefit over the complete life cycle of UFs' products (Edwards-Jones, 2010). Studies in the UK and China have shown that the direct emissions of agricultural practices are by far the largest share of the footprint of food production (Vermeulen et al., 2012). ...
This paper reviews the literature relating to a type of local bio-based circular economy (BCE) where food waste (FW) is effectively recycled to advanced bio-refineries to produce multiple ecosystem services (ES) including energy, biofertilizer and other value-added products and services. The biofertilizer is applied within urban and peri-urban farms to close the bioresource loop. Such BCE concept has been proposed in several EU countries with varying degree of success in long-term operations. We systematically review the ES of BCE and identify the ES, which are not properly compensated by the market. On this basis, we further review the potential regulatory and supporting mechanisms, which could incentivize the successful implementation of BCE and overcome the market/policy failures. We find that single regulatory instrument at the government and authority level could be compromised by poor governance and practices at other levels, and therefore may not reach its full potential. Instead, we propose a multi-level regulatory and supporting system, which combines the strengths of top-down and bottom-up governances and motivates the self-governance of industry and citizens. We conclude by highlighting a need for multi-level governance research supporting urban sustainable transitions, with a focus on constructing ‘policy portfolios’ from a systems perspective to better engage government, firms, citizens and other stakeholders.
... When developing urban food production, it is necessary to seek out various food sources and avoid over-dependence on any single source. A previous study has suggested that sometimes the localization of food production may increase the food supply chain's overall environmental impact [79]. Therefore, there may be many trade-offs between sustainability and resilience, and how to balance the sustainability and resilience of UFS is an issue worth exploring. ...
The increase of urbanization is affecting the urban food system (UFS) in many areas, primarily production, processing, and consumption. The upgrading of the urban food consumption structure not only puts forward higher food production requirements, but also poses a challenge to resource consumption and technological innovation. Considerable case or review studies have been conducted on UFS, but there is no bibliometric review attempting to provide an objective and comprehensive analysis of the existing articles. In this study, we selected 5360 research publications from the core Web of Science collection from 1991 to 2020, analyzing contributions of countries, institutions, and journals. In addition, based on keyword co-occurrence and clustering analyses, we evaluated the research hotspots of UFS. The results show that global research interest in UFS has increased significantly during these three decades. The USA, China, and the UK are the countries with the highest output and closest collaborations. UFS research involves multiple subject categories, with environmental disciplines becoming mainstream. Food security, food consumption, and food waste are the three main research areas. We suggest that food sustainability and resilience, food innovation, and comparative studies between cities should be given more attention in the future.
The purpose of this study was to asses the cash flows and its impact on trading policy. The research design adapted case study in which target population was 100 with sample size of 50 respondents, the researcher employed simple random sampling technique to select the respondent. Questionnaires were used to collect data. Data analysis was presented in table with emphasis of frequencies and percentage, traders used cash flow as a means of judging a business's financial foundations. results finding majority, 67% of the respondent were agreed for that statement, 4% of respondents were those of the trade policy can be defined as goals, rules, standards, and regulations that are involved in the trade between countries, 22%, of respondents were poor particular to a specific country and are formed by its public officials, 7% were those of when the policies of financial statements are not in proper manner. Other majority of respondents also shows their views with statement that, methods of preparing cash flow statement. The majority, 56% of the respondent were inadequate education skills, 11% of respondents were direct method, 22% of respondents were low level of health, 11% lack of interest. The majority respondents also indicate that, the policy aims of financial statement, to speed up the inflows and slow down the outflows in the company or financial institutions. Other majority of respondents also shows their views with statement that, 56% were those of Cash flow issues can arise from low-profit margins, 18% of respondent interest on savings and investments, 26% of respondents increased bank overdrafts or loans. The majority respondents were indicated that, the policy aims of financial statement, to speed up the inflows and slow down the outflows in the financial institutions. Other majority of respondents also shows their views with statement that, 71% were those of Cash flow issues can arise from low-profit margins. In the conclusion, central Bank should increase powers on controlling rate of hard currency and improve the system as to use electronic system for controlling random cash outflow. With aims to manage liquidity and maintaining price stability as the key responsibility.
Como complemento de un artículo previo (Grau 2022), presento cinco grupos de hallazgos que desafían posturas bastante establecidas en la comunidad de ecólogos y ambientalistas. 1) La incidencia de catástrofes de origen climático sobre la población y la infraestructura ha disminuido de manera dramática, en buena medida por el progreso económico. 2) Las poblaciones de abejas están aumentando, e incluso si disminuyeran, su efecto sobre la seguridad alimentaria del planeta sería menor. 3) Las estimaciones sobre los daños económicos de las especies exóticas frecuentemente son exageradas, sin un balance adecuado de costos y beneficios. 4) Por lo general, el consumo local no disminuye la huella de carbono y no tiene ventajas nutritivas. 5) El ganado europeo puede aumentar la diversidad de herbívoros y las comunidades asociadas, y puede contribuir a mitigar los efectos de las extinciones asociadas a los humanos originarios. Para promover una ciencia ambiental más rigurosa y menos dogmática, sugiero aceptar de manera más explícita que el cambio (incluyendo migraciones y extinciones) es parte constitutiva del funcionamiento de los socio-ecosistemas. Además, es necesario enfatizar que los cambios ambientales deben evaluarse mediante el análisis de tendencias de largo plazo, discriminando entre relaciones causales y correlacionales, y no por la mera apreciación de eventos discretos. También es fundamental preservar el rol ‘esencial’ de la ciencia, que consiste en valorar los enunciados en función de su consistencia con la realidad, no por su funcionalidad a determinadas agendas políticas o ideológicas. Finalmente, es importante incentivar de manera proactiva las iniciativas científicas que desafíen consensos o creencias dominantes, como motor de investigaciones creativas y profundas basadas en datos.
Tourists who favor local food typically care about healthy food choices. Their view of locally produced food as healthy is related to perceptions of sustainability. This relationship can be explained by tourists’ personality traits and tendency to eat local food. This study aimed to establish the effect of tourists’ perceptions of sustainability in the context of local food experiences on healthy eating tendencies. In addition, we aimed to determine the role of tourists’ personality traits and local eating tendencies and elucidate the moderating role of searching online for information on food choices. An online questionnaire (via e-mail and WhatsApp) was used to obtain data from 379 research participants, recruited using a non-probabilistic sampling technique. A research model and hypotheses were formed based on Hayes PROCESS Macro models 90 and 6, and moderator and mediator effects were analyzed using these models. Healthy eating was well-explained by the model, and the perception of social and environmental sustainability in local food experiences (LFE-SES) positively affected food-related personality traits (FRPT), local food eating tendencies (LFET), and healthy eating (HE). While food-related personality traits did not mediate the relationship between the perception of sustainability and healthy eating, local food eating tended to mediate this relationship. In addition, when food-related personality traits and local food eating tendencies were evaluated together, they had a mediating role between the perception of sustainability and healthy eating. Searching online for information had an insignificant moderating effect. These findings help promote an understanding of healthy eating tendencies. Within the context of local food, they suggest critical theoretical and practical implications for the relationship between the perception of sustainability, food-related personality traits, local food eating tendencies, and healthy eating.
To examine the factors influencing college students’ willingness to consume local food, 425 students completed a validated self-administered paper-and-pencil survey measuring Health Belief Model (HBM) constructs, social influence, and self-identity. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the hypothetical relationships. Perceived benefits, cues to action, self-efficacy, social influence, and self-identity had a significant positive impact on willingness to consume local foods, while perceived susceptibility and perceived severity regarding local food consumption did not. This study adds to the existing research by integrating HBM, social influence, and self-identity, and provides practical implications regarding local food offering to college students.
У роботі обґрунтовано доцільність розвитку коротких ланцюгів постачання на місцевому рівні. Установлено, що такий підхід забезпечує стійкість розвитку сільської території, зокрема сприяє: соціальній взаємодії, розвитку громади, здоров’ю та добробуту населення, сільському розвитку й економічному відродженню, досягненню економічних вигод фермерськими господарствами, зменшенню споживання енергії та викидів вуглекислого газу, сталості агросистеми.
Nutrition outcomes fluctuate throughout the year in a cyclic pattern, dubbed seasonality. These periodic changes result from the influence of climatic factors on agricultural and disease cycles that interact with food, livelihood, and environmental systems. As the climate changes, the need for more precise seasonality models increases. Measurement of the seasonality of nutrition outcomes is most accurately done using models that consider the continuous nature of the seasonality time series, rather than categorical variables designating discrete seasons. Bolstering understanding of nutrition seasonality using a systems perspective and precise models can improve well-being by informing the timing, nature, and targeting of nutrition policies and programs.
This research aims to determine the effect of local food consumption of domestic tourists on sustainable tourism. In addition, the study also aims to: reveal the impact of local foods on economic, socio-cultural, and environmental sustainability. In this context, data were collected from 394 domestic tourists visiting the provinces of the Eastern Black Sea region (Artvin, Bayburt, Gumushane, Trabzon and Rize). This research was designed in accordance with the correlational research method, one of the quantitative research designs. The research data were tested using structural equation modeling, which is commonly used in the social and behavioral sciences. As a result, it was found that local food has a statistically significant and positive effect on sustainable tourism. In addition, local food was found to have a positive effect on the subscales (economic, socio-cultural and environmental) of sustainable tourism.
This paper examines restaurant managements’ (owners, managers, or the chefs) perceptions, motivations, and constraints in buying local food ingredients from local farmers’ market vendors (farmer vendors) in a study conducted in Vancouver, Canada and Christchurch, New Zealand. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with restaurants (31 in Vancouver and 28 in Christchurch). Results revealed that purchasing local food from farmers’ market vendors was perceived as beneficial by restaurants, but they experienced challenges with purchasing. This study further presented evidence that restaurants satisfaction with wholesale distributors is an important purchasing factor in local food purchasing decisions while sustainable production products were not the main motivation among restaurants in both the samples. In the light of empirical findings, theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Knowledge and evidence on how food value chains can deliver nutrition, especially micronutrients, are limited. A deeper understanding of the food value chains as part of agri-food systems approaches addressing hunger and malnutrition through agricultural development may provide pathways for nutrition and health outcomes.. This systematic review was undertaken using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) to assess the broad topic of value chains and micronutrients, focusing on interventions and their related impact pathways. Impact pathway interventions improving micronutrient delivery and consumption were classified as production, accessibility, marketing, income, knowledge and behavioral, and finally, women’s empowerment pathways. However, the case study evidence on the micronutrient-sensitive value chains for nutritional outcomes is very scant. This review identified that making value chains micronutrient-sensitive requires a multi-stakeholder, integrated approach as a basis for concerted action among various stakeholders in terms of policy, research, strengthening partnerships and coordination, and information sharing. The review illustrates the scarcity of literature with a focus on the micronutrients in the context of food value chains and developing countries. The food value chain approach offers great potential to unpack the complexity of food systems and identify entry points and pathways for improving nutrition outcomes, especially the micronutrients. Additionally, this review identifies multiple entry points and calls for strong advocacy of nutrition-sensitive value chain approaches to combat hidden hunger.
Consumers are increasingly interested in buying locally produced food but often cannot recognise it on the market. As the European Union has not introduced a local food labelling scheme, the study examines how selected countries defined and labelled local food and whether the implemented brands are suitable for fulfilling their functions of identifying, promoting and guaranteeing local products, avoiding misleading consumers. The question of to what extent geographical indications can be used as a tool to identify locally produced food is also considered. The analysis shows that there is a variety of local or regional, public and private brands that are the result of bottom-up initiatives and local self-governance, but their proliferation, differences in legal nature and the meaning of the messages conveyed adversely affect their function. Therefore, a harmonised labelling should be introduced at the UE level, otherwise at a national level, as a ready-made tool for promoting and distinguishing local products on the market, ensuring a uniform understanding of the label for all participants in the food chain, preventing fraud and unfair competition, and giving consumers confidence in its message.
Purpose
This study aims to focus on local food consumption and specifically seeks to explore how consumers construct the meaning of local food and the nature of relationships between key influences on the local food purchase intention.
Design/methodology/approach
A two-stage qualitative methodology was adopted consisting of five focus group discussions and 25 semi-structured interviews with consumers in Northern Ireland. Focus groups explored consumer meanings of local food. Semi-structured interviews sought to explore in more depth the inter-relationships between the influences on the purchase intention and the role of moral norms.
Findings
Five key influences on the purchase intention are identified (quality attributes, experience and familiarity, emotional attributes, the setting, support for the local economy). These influences are connected with a range of self-interest, altruistic and moral factors.
Research limitations/implications
This study was undertaken in a specific geographical setting and thus the generalisation of the findings is limited. Future research should ascertain the views of stakeholders (producers and retailers) to provide multi-actor constructions and understandings of local food.
Practical implications
There are a number of practical implications for marketers from this study that provide considerable scope to differentiate local food products. A more nuanced understanding of consumer motivations and their understanding of local food will help marketers to develop brand image linked to the themes identified here such as product familiarity and rural connections. Furthermore, the local food servicescape or setting should be managed carefully to construct an emotional attachment and positive consumer experience, whilst promoting trust and perceptions of quality.
Originality/value
Previous studies on local food consumer behaviour have considered the influences on local food consumer behaviour in quite binary terms (self-interest and altruistic factors). This study unpicks the key influences on the purchase intention, based on a thematic analysis, and proposes a new categorisation and set of interrelationships around five key themes.
There is an increase in initiatives towards more localised food systems, consisting of less complex and shorter supply chains. The expectations are that such food systems reduce carbon emissions and food losses and waste, as well as contribute to healthier diets. It is however not clear to what extent these expectations can be met. This paper aims to outline the main characteristics and claimed benefits of local food systems as described in the scientific literature, as well as to analyse and evaluate the role of logistics on the economic and environmental performance of local food systems by developing simple local food supply chain scenarios in the setting of the Dutch province of Flevoland. The results, supported by findings from literature, suggest that the use of cooperation and coordination in the supply chain is necessary to achieve more efficient and sustainable local supply chains.
The recognition of family farmers as social actors enables the creation of effective linkages between policies for rural poverty reduction and policies for market-oriented development – as is the case in Public Food Procurement programmes-. However, these programmes face challenges in terms of institutional development. This paper identifies some of the most relevant challenges and analyses institutional innovations that have been developed recently in Latin American and Caribbean countries to tackle them.
The consumption of local food products is a trend in several countries. Governments have developed strategies to stimulate the production and consumption of local food products, which in turn might empower the local economy. This study aimed to identify the importance of local food products attributes in Brazil. An online survey was conducted, and a dual-response Best-worst scaling method was applied to sample of 205 Brazilian consumers. Results of the Hierarchical Bayes analyses showed that the order from the most to the least important attributes were: (1) Healthiness, (2) Safety, (3) Animal welfare, (4) Environmental impact, (5) Support of the local economy, (6) Taste, (7) Price, (8) Availability, (9) Traceability, (10) Place of origin, (11) Convenience. Based on the results, managerial implications are presented.
The multiple potential benefits of using the public procurement of food for schools as an instrument to support agricultural production by local smallholders – or home-grown school feeding programmes (HGSF) − are widely recognized. However, many countries still face various challenges related to the implementation of such programmes. Of particular prominence here are challenges related to the alignment of the programmes with regulatory frameworks for public procurement. Nevertheless, the debate about the role of public procurement regulatory frameworks in the design and implementation of HGSF programmes is poorly represented in the development literature, especially in contexts of developing countries. This chapter aims to contribute to this debate. It combines a discussion of the experience of Ethiopia with an analysis of the challenges created by public procurement rules and practices for the implementation and scaling up of existing HGSF initiatives.
Sustainable Public Food Procurement (PFP) represents a key game changer for food systems transformation. It can influence both food consumption and food production patterns. It can deliver multiple social, economic and environmental benefits towards sustainable food systems for healthy diets. This publication aims to contribute to the improved understanding, dissemination and use of PFP as a development tool in particular in the case of school meals programmes. Volume 2 of this publication,
presents further analysis of the instruments, enablers and barriers for PFP implementation. It also provides case studies with local, regional and national experiences from Africa, Asia, Europe and North and South America.
Food environments of three farmers’ markets and 12 grocery stores located in five Mississippi Delta towns were measured and descriptively compared. Availability, source, quality, and price of 13 fruits and 32 vegetables were measured from June 2019 to March 2020. Availability was lower for farmers’ markets than grocery stores (29 vs. 39 items) with 27 (93%) farmers’ markets produce sourced locally and four (10%) grocery store produce sourced locally. Prices were higher for farmers’ markets than grocery stores with four exceptions. Compared to grocery stores, farmers’ markets had less variety and higher prices, but locally sourced produce were more prevalent.
Although governments have implemented regulations to inform consumers on important product properties and protect consumers from deceptive information, empirical research on how consumers perceive, interpret and experience food packages have shown frequently that consumers may be misled by how information is presented and packages are designed. While communication in some domains is strictly regulated (health), claims in other domains are largely free (nature) and do not require substantiation. Subtleties in wording, image use and image style may affect the impressions consumers form. To support consumer decision making, legislators should not only provide rules and regulations that are formally correct, but also consider the effects a message and the way it is communicated (e.g., content, typeface, size, use of images, stylistic features) may have on buyers. While it may be unclear how best to support desirable behaviours, companies that take social responsibility can build on our work to develop their strategy.
Public debate concerning what constitutes a “sustainable” diet has grown rapidly in the past decade. In this paper, we examine consumers' beliefs surrounding sustainable diets and how these beliefs relate to evidence from nutrition and environmental science. Using data from a German online survey, we report and examine diets and methods of production, which participants perceived to be sustainable and considered healthy and/or environmentally friendly. We also pay particular attention to gender differences in food beliefs. Our results show that participants' perceptions and scientific evidence regarding sustainable diets diverge. Regional, seasonal, and organic foods are seen as pillars of a sustainable diet and viewed as particularly healthy and environmentally friendly. On the contrary, meat-free diets (vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian) are less associated with a sustainable diet and not perceived as particularly healthy or environmentally friendly. This reveals a science-beliefs gap for sustainable diets, as these beliefs stand in contrast to scientific evidence. In contrast to previous studies on differences between women and men concerning dietary beliefs and behaviors, this study did not find major gender differences in beliefs surrounding sustainable diets. These results indicate that improving consumers' knowledge about environmentally friendly and healthy diets, based on current scientific evidence, may be necessary in order to achieve sustainable diets and food systems.
Universities continue to expand their local food sourcing, but the impacts of these sourcing changes are ambiguous. Some academics have measured these impacts using input-output analysis methods to track economic indicators that may be of interest to local communities. However, these studies do not capture nonmarket benefits of local food system investments or answer the broader question of whether local sourcing benefits society as a whole, both of which can be addressed using cost-benefit analysis. This paper explores cost-benefit analysis as an additional tool for measuring the economic impacts of local food investments, using a sourcing change by The Ohio State University as a case study. It builds on recent theoretical applied economics literature on the welfare impacts of local food sourcing and sheds light on important trade-offs of local sourcing that institutions and other buyers may want to consider. Employing data provided by Ohio State University Dining Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, I use a Monte Carlo simulation approach that accounts for uncertainty and allows for exploration of many scenarios. In more than half of the scenarios, local sourcing yields a net loss to society. However, additional research is needed by economists and others to enable local food system stakeholders to more easily and accurately conduct this work and add cost-benefit analysis to their project evaluation toolkit.
View-only version: https://rdcu.be/clkgs or access article via: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03681013 || Abstract: In the political discussion, the promotion of local food systems and short supply chains is sometimes presented as a means to increase the resilience of the food system, e.g. in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is also suggested as a means to improve the environmental footprint of the food system. Differentiating between local food systems and short supply chains, a review of the literature on the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainability is carried out. “Local food” cannot simply be equated with “sustainable food”; in most cases, it neither can ensure food security nor does it necessarily have a lower carbon footprint. For the environmental sustainability of food systems, many more factors matter than just transportation, not least consumers’ dietary choices. In terms of social sustainability, local food systems are not necessarily more resilient, but they can contribute to rural development and a sense of community. In terms of economic sustainability, selling via short supply chains into local markets can benefit certain farmers, while for other producers it can be more profitable to supply international markets.
Community gardens (CG) are areas of land where individuals or groups grow food in single or shared plots, typically in an urban setting, providing fresh produce, urban greening, and opportunities to socialize and improve the community. The purpose of this descriptive study was to introduce a CG laboratory (lab) as part of an introductory foods course within a nutrition program and explore how the lab influenced students’ learning and overall experiences. Forty-one students, 2 lab instructors, and 3 student volunteers who tended the CG participated in the survey. Survey analysis revealed 4 interrelated themes: (i) connection and exposure, (ii) food preparation, (iii) benefits of using local food, and (iv) explicit learning. Overall, the lab fostered multiple types of individual and relational learning involving the acquisition of course content and food literacy skills. The CG was valued by students as a curriculum component as well as opportunities for personal growth and development. With the growing importance of food systems knowledge to the profession, CG may act as a site for embodied forms of learning in nutrition programs.
Two best-worst scaling (BWS) experiments, one including only pictures and one including both pictures and descriptive words, were used to rank consumer preference for tomatoes with varying attributes in a nationally representative sample of 1,200 US residents. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first implementation of a fully pictorial-based BWS experiment. Relative preference among pictures of tomatoes in different retailing/production scenarios were analyzed and results between pictures that did and did not include descriptive words were compared. The experiment resulted in relative rankings that were statistically different between the BWS experiments. Further analysis evaluated word associations of respondents for the tomato pictures, establishing the foundation that, at least in one instance, lack of agreement existed regarding pictorial content. The potential for varying ranking of products or attributes when pictures versus text are used to convey related meaning/messaging has implications for the marketing and conveyance of product attributes.
This chapter argues that significant social change is required to stave off climate destruction, and it makes the case that peer production can usefully contribute to necessary processes of “relocalization” and “degrowth.” The governance of peer produced projects, one of the central aspects of the studies of peer production, aspires to the self‐regulation of participants in autonomous collectives. The chapter offers guiding principles and policy proposals which should not be read as fully‐formed, but as the basis for discussions, and as needing to be combined with other initiatives and proposals, such as John Restakis’ public policy proposals for a social economy, and with the Commons Transition Platform more generally. At this point in time, a realistic assessment is that peer production's collaborative methods and ethic of transparency are – with the exception of FOSS – anecdotal both in economic and ecological terms.
The effects of two nonchemical methods [controlled atmosphere (CA) storage and postharvest heating, alone or combined] on the quality (firmness, taste, color, and skin wax) and storability (losses resulting from bruising and fungal decay) of apples were investigated in a 3-year study. Fruits of two cultivars (cv. Aroma and cv. Ingrid Marie) were mechanically wounded on two opposing sides, inoculated with conidial suspensions of one of three pathogens [Pezicula malicorticis (bull's eye rot), Penicillium expansum (blue mould), and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (bitter rot)], exposed to 40 °C for four different exposure periods (24, 48, 72, and 96 h), and stored either in air (21.0 kPa O2 + 0.03 kPa CO2) or in CA storage (2.0 kPa O2 + 2.0 kPa CO2) for 4 months. Effect of postharvest heating on bruise susceptibility of air- or CA-stored apples was also investigated. Cultivar Aroma apples generally showed higher bruise susceptibility than cv. Ingrid Marie. The sun-exposed side of apples was less sensitive to bruising than the shaded side and red phenotypes of these two cultivars also showed increased resistance to bruising as compared with standard phenotypes. Heat treatment and CA storage, either alone or in combination, decreased bruise occurrence in both cultivars. Pz. malicorticis was the more aggressive storage pathogen for both apple cultivars followed by P. expansum and C. gloeosporioides. The highest decay severity occurred in inoculated and nonheat-treated apples stored in air. Heat treatment, especially in combination with CA storage, showed an eradicative effect on the pathogens without any negative effects on apple quality. Heat treatment maintained flesh firmness during storage, reduced ethylene production, and caused clearly visible changes in epicuticular wax structure, resulting in a higher resistance to bruising or to natural and artificial infections with the pathogens. The effective exposure period could be reduced to 24 h, because a combination of heat treatment (at 40 8C for 24 h) and CA storage showed the best protective effect against bruising and fungal decay. This combined treatment decreased bull's eye rot by 86% and 60% and bitter rot by 73% and 65% in cv. Aroma and cv. Ingrid Marie, respectively, in comparison with untreated apples.
Local food systems' movements, practices, and writings pose increasingly visible structures of resistance and counter-pressure to conventional globalizing food systems. The place of food seems to be the quiet centre of the discourses emerging with these movements. The purpose of this paper is to identify issues of 'place', which are variously described as the 'local' and 'community' in the local food systems literature, and to do so in conjunction with the geographic discussion focused on questions and meanings around these spatial concepts. I see raising the profile of questions, complexity and potential of these concepts as an important role and challenge for the scholar-advocate in the realm of local food systems, and for geographers sorting through them. Both literatures benefit from such a foray. The paper concludes, following a 'cautiously normative' tone, that there is strong argument for emplacing our food systems, while simultaneously calling for careful circumspection and greater clarity regarding how we delineate and understand the 'local'. Being conscious of the constructed nature of the 'local', 'community' and 'place' means seeing the importance of local social, cultural and ecological particularity in our everyday worlds, while also recognizing that we are reflexively and dialectially tied to many and diverse locals around the world.
The first of a two-part review of the recent and classical literature reveals that loss of nutrients in fresh products during storage and cooking may be more substantial than commonly perceived. Depending on the commodity, freezing and canning processes may preserve nutrient value. The initial thermal treatment of processed products can cause loss of water-soluble and oxygen-labile nutrients such as vitamin C and the B vitamins. However, these nutrients are relatively stable during subsequent canned storage owing to the lack of oxygen. Frozen products lose fewer nutrients initially because of the short heating time in blanching, but they lose more nutrients during storage owing to oxidation. Phenolic compounds are also water-soluble and oxygen-labile, but changes during processing, storage and cooking appear to be highly variable by commodity. Further studies would facilitate the understanding of the changes in these phytochemicals. Changes in moisture content during storage, cooking and processing can misrepresent changes in nutrient content. These findings indicate that exclusive recommendations of fresh produce ignore the nutrient benefits of canned and frozen products. Nutritional comparison would be facilitated if future research would express nutrient data on a dry weight basis to account for changes in moisture. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry
Background, aim and scopeConsiderable debate surrounds the assessment of the environmental impacts and the ethical justification for providing a year-round
supply of fresh produce to consumers in the developed countries of northern Europe. Society is seeking environmentally sustainable
supply chains which maintain the variety of fresh food on offer throughout the year. This paper compares the environmental
impacts of different supply chains providing lettuce all year round to the UK and considers consumers' meanings of—and attitudes
to—available options. Lettuce has been selected as a case study as its consumption has grown steadily during the last two
decades and the supply chains through cold months are protected cropping in the UK and field cropping in Spain; during warm
months, lettuce is sourced from field cropping in the UK.
Materials and methodsData were collected from farms supplying each of these supply chains, and life cycle assessment methodology was used to analyse
a range of impacts associated with producing (from plant propagation to harvesting and post-harvest cooling) and delivering
1kg of lettuce to a UK Regional Distribution Centre (RDC). The downstream stages (i.e. retailing, consumption and waste management)
are the same regardless of the origin of the product and were omitted from the comparison. The impacts considered included
potential to induce global warming and acidification as well as three inventory indicators (primary energy use, land use and
water use). Qualitative data were collected in order to assess the consumer considerations of purchasing lettuce also during
winter.
ResultsImportation of Spanish field-grown lettuce into the UK during winter produced fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than lettuce
produced in UK-protected systems at that time (0.4–0.5 vs. 1.5–3.7kg CO2-eq/kg lettuce in RDC). Refrigerated transport to the UK was an important element of the global warming potential associated
with Spanish lettuce (42.5% of emissions), whilst energy for heating dominated the results in UK-protected cultivation (84.3%
of emissions). Results for acidification were more variable and no overall trends are apparent. Results from qualitative social
analysis revealed complex and multidimensional meanings of freshness and suggested that the most striking seasonal variation
in vegetable/salad eating was a tendency to consume more salads in the summer and more cooked vegetables in the winter, thus
suggesting that in-home consumption alone cannot explain the rise in winter imports of lettuce to the UK.
DiscussionUK field-grown lettuce had the lowest overall environmental impact; however, those lettuces are only available in summer,
so consumers therefore need to either accept the environmental impacts associated with eating lettuce in the winter or to
switch consumption to another food product in the winter. When lettuces were field-grown in Spain and then transported by
road to the UK, the overall impacts were similar to the UK field lettuces. The variation within farms of the same country
employing different cultivation regimes and practices was bigger than between farms of different countries.
ConclusionsThis paper has explored the environmental consequences of consuming lettuce year-round in the UK. Whilst recognising the small
sample size, the comparative analysis of the different supply chains does suggest that seasonality can be an important variable
when defining the best choice of lettuce from an environmental point of view.
Recommendations and perspectivesFurther studies considering more production sites and product types are required to obtain conclusions whose general validity
is clear and for different types of fresh produce. A clear distinction to be made in such studies is whether crops are produced
in open fields or under protection. New characterisation methods are needed for environmental impacts derived from the use
of key agricultural resources such as land and water. Social studies to investigate consumer preferences and the possibility
of moving to more seasonal diets should be an integral part of these studies using samples composed of both urban and rural
consumers and using a mixed methodology with both quantitative and qualitative components.
Advocates of ‘local food’ claim it serves to reduce food miles and greenhouse gas emissions, improve food safety and quality, strengthen local economies and enhance social capital. We critically review the philosophical and scientific rationale for this assertion, and consider whether conventional scientific approaches can help resolve the debate. We conclude that food miles are a poor indicator of the environmental and ethical impacts of food production. Only through combining spatially explicit life cycle assessment with analysis of social issues can the benefits of local food be assessed. This type of analysis is currently lacking for nearly all food chains.
Significant environmental benefits are claimed for local food systems, but these biophysical indicators are increasingly recognised as inadequate descriptors of supply chain ethics. Social factors such as health are also important indicators of good practice, and are recognised by the organic and local food movements as important to the development of rounded sustainable agricultural practices. This study compared the self-reported health status of farm workers in the United Kingdom, Spain, Kenya and Uganda who were supplying distant markets with fresh vegetables. Workers on Kenyan export horticulture farms reported significantly higher levels of physical health than did Kenyan non-export farm workers and workers in the other study countries. Mean health levels for farm workers in the United Kingdom were significantly lower than relevant population norms, indicating widespread levels of poor health amongst these workers. These results suggest that globalised supply chains can provide social benefits to workers, while local food systems do not always provide desirable social outcomes. The causal mechanisms of these observations probably relate more to the social conditions of workers than directly to income.
Regional-level recurring spatial patterns of yield variability are important for commercial activities, strategic agricultural planning, and public policy, but little is known about the factors contributing to their formation. An important step to improve our understanding is recognizing regional spatial patterns of yield variability in association with regional environmental characteristics. We examined the spatial distribution of county-level mean yields and CVs of mean yields of four functionally different crops - - corn (Zea mays L.), soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], alfalfa (Medicago sativa), and oat (Avena sativa L.) - - in Iowa using Moran's Index of spatial autocorrelation. Patterns of association with 12 county-level climatic, edaphic, and topographic environmental characteristics were examined using partial least squares regression. Two distinct geographic provinces of yield stability were identified: one in the northern two-thirds of the state characterized by high mean yields and high yield constancy, and one in the southern third of the state characterized by low mean yields and low yield constancy. Among eight partial least squares regression models, which explained 50 to 81% of variation of mean yields and yield CVs, mean organic matter and mean depth to seasonally high water table had greatest relative importance to mean yields of grass crops and legume crops, respectively. Among the CV models, variables describing water availability were of greatest relative importance, with less distinct differences between grass and legume crops. Partial least squares regression is a potentially powerful tool for understanding regional yield variability.
From farm to fork, the conventional food chain is under enormous pressure to respond to a whole series of new challenges - food scares in rich countries, food security concerns in poor countries, and a burgeoning problem of obesity in all countries. As more and more people demand to know where their food comes from, and how it is produced, issues of place, power, and provenance assume increasing significance for producers, consumers, and regulators, challenging the corporate forces that shape the 'placeless foodscape'. Far from being confined to niche products, questions about the origins of food are also surfacing in the conventional sector, where labelling has become a major political issue. Drawing on theories of multi-level governance, three leading scholars in the field explore the geo-politics of the food chain in different spatial arenas: the World Trade Organization, where free trade principles clash with fair trade concerns in the debate about agricultural reform; the European Union, where producers are under pressure from environmentalists for a more traceable and sustainable food system; and the US, where there is a striking contradiction between the rhetoric of free markets and the reality of a heavily subsidised farming sector. To understand the local impact of these global trends, the authors explore three different regional worlds of food: the traditional world of localised quality in Tuscany, the peripheral world of commodity production in Wales, and the frontier world of agri-business in California.
Full text available here: "https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/2506?locale-attribute=en"
This report addresses carbon labeling schemes, a high-profile issue and one that has important economic implications for developing countries. Carbon accounting and labeling instruments are designed to present information on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from supply chains. These instruments have become an important awareness-raising channel for governments, producers, retailers and consumers to bring about the reduction of GHGs. At the same time, they have emerged as a crucial element of supply chain management, trade logistics and, potentially, trade regulations between countries. But the underlying science of GHG emissions is only partially developed. Many of these schemes are based on rudimentary knowledge of GHG emissions and have mainly been designed by industrialized countries. There is a concern that these systems do not accurately reflect production processes in developing countries, and that they may even shift consumer preferences away from developing country exports. The report includes an analysis of current and emerging carbon labeling schemes and an assessment of available data, emissions factors and knowledge gaps of carbon footprinting methodologies. The report also analyzes carbon accounting methodologies for sugar and pineapple products from Zambia and Mauritius according to PAS 2050 guidelines, to illustrate whether these schemes accurately represent the production systems in developing countries. The report concludes with a series of recommendations on how carbon footprint labeling can be made more development-friendly.
This article was submitted without an abstract, please refer to the full-text PDF file.
Tubers of 2 Indian potato processing varieties, 'Kufri Chipsona-1' and 'Kufri Chipsona-2', 2 American processing varieties, 'Atlantic' and 'Frito Lay 1533', along with popular Indian table variety 'Kufri Jyoti', grown under sub-tropical conditions were evaluated for chip colour, chip yield and oil content of chips, and nutritional and antioxidant constituents, before and after storage in a farm store (16-38°C, RH 37-80%) for 75 days, and in an evaporatively cooled store (15.5-29°C, RH 82-94%) for 90 days, beginning 1 st March. Chip colour improved after storage under both the conditions, while the chip yield was reduced coupled with an increase in oil content. Average peeling loss, dry matter, sucrose, free amino acids, total phenols and enzymic discoloration of tubers increased during storage, while a decline was observed in reducing sugars, soluble protein and vitamin C. Based on chip colour and total tuber weight loss during storage (<10%), 'Kufri Chipsona-1', 'Atlantic' and 'Frito Lay 1533' were rated as most suitable for processing under both types of storage conditions. In general, processing varieties contained lower amounts of reducing sugars, free amino acids and total phenols and higher levels of soluble protein and dry matter in comparison to 'Kufri Jyoti', which was although, unsuitable for processing, but was most suited for table consumption due to the presence of maximum contents of free amino acids (637 mg/100 g fresh wt), total phenolics (73.7 mg/100 g fresh wt) and vitamin C (14.8 mg/100 g fresh wt). The study indicated that evaporatively cooled store was a better option for storing potatoes for the production of chips with good colour and higher yield containing low oil content besides extending the storage life of potatoes by 15 days over farm store.
In the past, research and development in drying has focused on the process and technology and food drying was performed mainly to extended the shelf life without much importance on retaining quality attributes. Recently, however, efforts have been made to develop high-quality dried foods. This is achieved by utilizing novel drying technologies, by improving and optimizing existing drying methods, and by maximizing quality attributes such as structure, color, flavor, nutrition, etc. In an effort to highlight quality aspect of dried foods and biomaterials, a special issue of Drying Technology [2005, 23(4)] was published. The objective of this article is to present an overview of quality attributes normally considered in the drying of food and biomaterials and highlight the recent advances in drying methods for the retention of nutritional and functional properties of fruits and vegetables.
Es werden die Veränderungen der Inhaltsstoffe einjähriger Säzwiebeln unter außenluft‐ (NL) und maschinengekühlten Bedingungen (KL) während 7 bzw. 8 Monaten Lagerdauer (x) im Mittel von 4 bis 7 Versuchsserien dargelegt. Der Trockenmassegehalt zeigt infolge Nährstoffkonzentration (Frischmasseverluste) keine Veränderung. Die Menge der Disaccharide (einschließlich eines Teiles der Oligosaccharide) nimmt pro Lagermonat ausgeprägt um 0,266 bzw. 0,337 g/100 g FM ab (NL allerdings gegen Lagerende degressiv entsprechend der Funktion y = α0 − β1x + β2x⁵). Die Monosaccharide unterliegen einem deutlichen Anstieg um 19 bzw. 38% bis April bzw. Mai, um dann wieder leicht abzufallen (Funktion y = α0 + β1x − β2x⁵). Der Gehalt an Gesamtsacchariden geht daher im abgeschwächten Ausmaß bei NL linear, bei KL progressiv zunehmend (y = α0 − β1x²) zurück. Der Gehalt an Gesamt‐Vitamin C steigt unabhängig von der Lagertemperatur pro Lagermonat linear um ≈0,5 mg/100 g FM an. Die physiologischen Einflüsse werden ausführlich diskutiert.
Average commercial wheat yields in the southern, high rainfall area of Western Australia have seldom exceeded 1.5 t/ha and wheat is not widely grown. However, the average annual rainfall and length of growing season (>400 mm and >6 months) are conducive to much larger yields. Thirteen factorial experiments with mid and long season cultivars (Aroona and Osprey), 2 levels of applied nitrogen (N) (40 and 80 kg N/ha), 2 seed rates (50 and 100 kg/ha) and with or without fungicide were conducted at 8 sites over 2 seasons. The experiment was done to investigate combinations of cultivar and agronomic practices suitable for increased wheat production in long season environments in Western Australia. Largest grain yields (>4 t/ha) were obtained where wheat followed a grass-free break crop, and the mid season cultivar was used with 80 kg N/ha and 100 kg/ha of seed. Increases due to cultivar and seed rate were more consistent than those due to N, and increases from application of fungicide were less consistent. It is suggested that the optimal wheat production 'package' will include sowing in May in rotation with a grass-free break crop, seed rate of about 100 kg/ha and, when all other factors are optimal, N rates of over 40 kg/ha. The greatest yield increases were associated with the sites where wheat followed a grass-free crop. Increases due to other factors were relatively smaller. Hectolitre weight and percentage of small grain (<2 mm) often reached levels that would have entailed downgrading in commercial deliveries. However, in the most productive crops where root and leaf diseases were minimal, these quality parameters were seldom deficient and grain protein contents exceeded 10% at yields of up to 4 t/ha.
Carbon footprinting is an increasingly important method of communicating the climate change impacts of food production to stakeholders. Few studies utilize empirical data collected from farms to calculate the carbon footprints of lamb and beef. Data from two farms in Wales, UK, were employed to undertake such an analysis for two system boundaries.
Within a system boundary that considers the embodied greenhouse gases (GHGs) in inputs and on-farm emissions, producing 1 kg of lamb releases 1·3–4·4 kg CO 2 eq/kg live weight (case study farm 1) and 1·5–4·7 kg CO 2 eq/kg live weight (case study farm 2). The production of beef releases 1·5–5·3 and 1·4–4·4 kg CO 2 eq/kg live weight.
Within a wider system boundary that also includes GHG emissions from animals and farm soils, lamb released 8·1–31·7 and 20·3–143·5 kg CO 2 eq/kg live weight on the two case study farms, and beef released 9·7–38·1 and 18·8–132·6 kg CO 2 eq/kg live weight. The difference in emissions for this system boundary relates to nitrous oxides emitted from the organic soils on case study farm 2.
These values overlap with nearly all other studies of GHG emissions from lamb and beef production. No direct comparisons between studies are possible due to substantial differences in the methodological approaches adopted.
This study evaluated the effects of microwave blanching prior to freezing as an alternative pretreatment for frozen peas. Peas were blanched (steam-, boiling water immersion-, microwave- or microwave-blanched in a bag), frozen and evaluated after 0, 6 and 12 weeks for moisture and ascorbic acid content, peroxidase activity, visual appearance and instrumental color, and after 6 and 12 weeks for aroma, flavor and texture. All blanch treatments reduced peroxidase activity by 97% compared with controls (unblanched); blanching methods did not differ. Steam blanching resulted in significantly better ascorbic acid retention than all other treatments; microwave blanch treatments were either equivalent to or better than boiling water immersion. Both microwave treatments darkened (L* value) peas. Microwave-blanched peas were visually greener than other treatments, but their appearance was less intact. Aroma and flavor were similar among blanch treatments. Texture of boiling water immersed peas was similar to the two microwave treatments.
Summary • Exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) from soils can contribute significantly to the global warming potential (GWP) of agro-ecosystems. Due to variations in soil type, climatic conditions and land management practices, exchange of CO2 can differ markedly in different geographical locations. The food industry is developing carbon footprints for their products necessitating integration of CO2 exchange from soils with other CO2 emissions along the food chain. It may be advantageous to grow certain crops in different geographical locations to minimize CO2 emissions from the soil, and this may provide potential to offset other emissions in the food chain, such as transport. • Values are derived for the C balance of soils growing horticultural crops in the UK, Spain and Uganda. Net ecosystem production (NEP) is firstly calculated from the difference in net primary production (NPP) and heterotrophic soil respiration (Rh). Both NPP and Rh were estimated from intensive direct field measurements. Secondly, net biome production (NBP) is calculated by subtracting the crop biomass from NEP to give an indication of C balance. The importance of soil exchange is discussed in the light of recent discussions on carbon footprints and within the context of food life-cycle assessment (LCA). • The amount of crop relative to the biomass and the Rh prevailing in the different countries were the dominant factors influencing the magnitude of NEP and NBP. The majority of the biomass for lettuce Lactuca sativa and vining peas Pisum sativum, was removed from the field as crop; therefore, NEP and NBP were mainly negative. This was amplified for lettuces grown in Uganda (−16·5 and −17 t C ha−1 year−1 compared to UK and Spain −4·8 to 7·4 and −5·1 to 6·3 t C ha−1 year−1 for NEP and NBP, respectively) where the climate elevated Rh. • Synthesis and applications. This study demonstrates the importance of soil emissions in the overall life cycle of vegetables. Variability in such emissions suggests that assigning a single value to food carbon footprints may not be adequate, even within a country. Locations with high heterotrophic soil respiration, such as Spain and Uganda (21·9 and 21·6 t C ha−1 year−1, respectively), could mitigate the negative effects of climate on the C costs of crop production by growth of crops with greater returns of residue to the soil. This would minimize net CO2 emissions from these agricultural ecosystems.
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a powerful greenhouse gas. The UK government is committed to reducing all greenhouse gas emissions and is required to make an inventory of the sources and emissions of these gases. Here, we extend work from a pilot study at the catchment scale reported in an earlier paper. This paper reports on the upscaling measurements of emissions to derive annual emission rates for specific combinations of soil type, land management and fertiliser practices to the national scale. Digital soil, climate and land use maps were combined within Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software. Upscaling of field emissions measurements involves adjusting measured annual N2O emissions to fit combinations of crop growth cycles, soil wetness and the amount and timing of fertiliser applications. We have also taken account of the differences in emission rates from grazed pasture land due to differences in land management between land utilised for dairy production and land utilised for beef production. Calculated annual emission rates were then spatially scaled to derive national figures through the use of a GIS modelling framework, termed NitOx. The annual emission of N2O from Scotland was determined as approximately 6 000 000 kg N yr−1 (2.8 Mt carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalents) and compares favourably with other national scale estimates such as the IPCC (1997). The combination of animal grazing, high N inputs, climatic warmth and poorly drained soils means that the south west contributes significantly to the national total N2O emissions. Localised areas of high emission can also be identified, but identification could be improved by applying this modelling approach at a larger scale. It would be beneficial to target these areas with mitigation strategies.
Vitamin C levels of commercially frozen okra, potatoes, green beans, broccoli, spinach and peas, including the impact of processing and storage, were studied. Depending on the vegetable type, prefreezing operations caused a 19.1–51.5% decrease in the initial vitamin C levels. The freezing process alone did not influence the vitamin levels except in the cases of green beans and spinach. Total losses (%) were between 27.6 and 57.9 for the vegetables at the end of commercial frozen storage (6 months). All the data obtained from this study confirmed that, depending on the vegetable type, prefreezing operations have a major impact on the vitamin C contents and this influence persists in the frozen storage.
The large boreal peatland ecosystems sequester carbon and nitrogen from the atmosphere due to a low oxygen pressure in waterlogged peat. Consequently they are sinks for CO2 and strong emitters of CH4. Drainage and cultivation of peatlands allows oxygen to enter the soil, which initiates decomposition of the stored organic material, and in turn CO2 and N2O emissions increase while CH4 emissions decrease. Compared to undrained peat, draining of organic soils for agricultural purposes increases the emissions of greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, and N2O) by roughly 1t CO2 equivalents/ha per year. Although farmed organic soils in most European countries represent a minor part of the total agricultural area, these soils contribute significantly to national greenhouse gas budgets. Consequently, farmed organic soils are potential targets for policy makers in search of socially acceptable and economically cost-efficient measures to mitigate climate gas emissions from agriculture. Despite a scarcity of knowledge about greenhouse gas emissions from these soils, this paper addresses the emissions and possible control of the three greenhouse gases by different managements of organic soils. More precise information is needed regarding the present trace gas fluxes from these soils, as well as predictions of future emissions under alternative management regimes, before any definite policies can be devised.
Background, Aim and Scope
The usual route for improvement of agricultural practice towards sustainability runs via labelling schemes for products or farm practices. In most approaches requirements are set in absolute terms, disregarding the variation in environmental performance of farms. Another approach for promoting sustainable farming concerns the concept of benchmarking, which takes into account competition among farmers. The individual agricultural performance is characterized by quantitative criteria and compared with scores of other relevant farms.
Methods
Therefore, a pilot study has been conducted in the Netherlands concerning benchmarking among arable farmers in the Internet involving crop protection. A voluntary Dutch benchmark initiative in the Internet is described including farmers' perception regarding the tool.
Results
The results show that the benchmark tool in the Internet allows farmers to compare their environmental and economic performance anonymously and securely in a large-scale open-access environment. The pilot group of farmers responded positively to the instrument. An important factor in success is the ease and speed with which data can be entered into the benchmark tool.
Conclusions
A benchmark tool for comparing the environmental performance among farmers can form the basis for agreements between farmers and their costumers. An application involving food industry and retailers is discussed.
Glucosinolates contribute to the chemoprotective effects of Brassica vegetables. The influence of blanching and freezing broccoli, followed by storage or cooking, on its glucosinolate concentration
and myrosinase activity was investigated. Myrosinase activity was reduced by 93%, while glucosinolate concentration was unaltered
after blanch-freezing broccoli. Blanch-frozen Brassica retained the glucosinolate content of its fresh counterpart after storage at T=−20°C for up to 90days. Fresh or blanch-frozen broccoli was stir-fried, boiled, boiled and kept hot for 2h, or left
uncooked. Stir-frying retained the highest glucosinolate concentration and myrosinase activity, regardless of pre-cooking.
Boiling and keeping blanch-frozen broccoli hot completely denatured myrosinase and decreased glucosinolate concentration by
42%. Aromatic and indole glucosinolates were reduced to a larger extent than aliphatic glucosinolates, especially when boiled
broccoli was kept hot. The final concentration of glucosinolates in Brassica is influenced by cooking, while the myrosinase activity is modified by pre-treatment and subsequent cooking.
Climate change mitigation policies tend to focus on the energy sector, while the livestock sector receives surprisingly little
attention, despite the fact that it accounts for 18% of the greenhouse gas emissions and for 80% of total anthropogenic land
use. From a dietary perspective, new insights in the adverse health effects of beef and pork have lead to a revision of meat
consumption recommendations. Here, we explored the potential impact of dietary changes on achieving ambitious climate stabilization
levels. By using an integrated assessment model, we found a global food transition to less meat, or even a complete switch
to plant-based protein food to have a dramatic effect on land use. Up to 2,700Mha of pasture and 100Mha of cropland could
be abandoned, resulting in a large carbon uptake from regrowing vegetation. Additionally, methane and nitrous oxide emission
would be reduced substantially. A global transition to a low meat-diet as recommended for health reasons would reduce the
mitigation costs to achieve a 450ppm CO2-eq. stabilisation target by about 50% in 2050 compared to the reference case. Dietary changes could therefore not only create
substantial benefits for human health and global land use, but can also play an important role in future climate change mitigation
policies.
A life cycle assessment (LCA) type method was used to quantify greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions from Irish suckler-beef production. The methodology was used as a systems analysis tool to quantify GHG emissions from a typical Irish beef production system and to evaluate a number of alternative management scenarios. The LCA methodology can be used to decide whether a management strategy will reduce GHG emissions or transfer them elsewhere in the emission basket. Scenarios were developed that examined using both beef-bred animals (Charolais, Simmental and Limousin) and dairy-bred animals (Holstein–Fresian). By scaling total GHG emissions relative to a functional unit (FU) of live weight per year (kg CO2 kg LW yr−1), it was possible to estimate both the emissions and the potential for emissions reduction by adopting alternative management. The typical suckler-beef system was estimated to produce 11.26 kg CO2 LW yr−1. For beef-bred animals the cow contributed a large amount to the total emissions whereas for dairy-bred beef production the allocation from the cow was much less. In terms of dietary supplementation for GHG emissions reduction, a broad range of supplement combinations were evaluated and showed no major reduction potential compared to, or within, the grass-dominated system.
Cabbage is an important source of dietary antioxidants, available throughout the year. Using electrospray ionisation Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry we studied changes in antioxidant compounds in white cabbage during 6 months of commercial storage. Cabbages were harvested at the end of November and stored until the end of May in pallet bins in a refrigerated shed under natural-air conditions. Samples were collected four times during storage in November, February, April and May. Antioxidant compounds identified in cabbage included: ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acid (vitamin C), pyridoxine and pyridoxamine (vitamin B6), nicotinamide and nicotinic acid (vitamin B3), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5); flavonoids (artemetin, betanidin, butein/naringenin chalcone, chalcone, cyanidin, equol, flavone, hydroxyflavone, kaempferol/luteolin, malvidin, naringenin/tetrahydrochalcone, nobiletin, pelargonidin, purpurogallin and quercitol); phenolic acids (benzoic, caffeic, cinnamic, coumaric/hydroxycinnamic, dimethoxybenzoic, gallic/trihydroxybezoic, phenylacetic, rosmarinic, syringic, vanillic and veratric). Fresh-harvested cabbages contained the highest levels of ascorbic acid and pyridoxine. Vitamins B3 and B5 and D2 were below the detection limit. During the first 3 months of storage cabbage lost all pyridoxamine and ∼80% of ascorbic acid. At the end of storage, however, the content of ascorbic acid and vitamins B3 and B5 increased, which may reflect preparation of cabbage for a new growth. A large variety of flavonoids were present in fresh-harvested cabbages. More than half of these compounds were lost during the first 5 months of storage. However, at the end of storage an increase in the levels of some flavonoids was detected. Among 11 phenolic acids found in this study, 7 compounds were present during all the storage period, 2 compounds were lost and 3 other compounds appeared during storage. Starting from April, the appearance of dark lesions on the outer cabbage leaves and detection of ergosterol in cabbage samples indicated the progression of fungal infection. This could trigger synthesis of flavonoids and phenolic acids associated with pathogen resistance in the last months of storage. The study demonstrates that changes in antioxidant compounds in cabbage during long-term storage reflect several ongoing processes, such as postharvest senescence, biennial cycle and response to fungal infection.
Studies were conducted to observe the effect of different soil moisture and nutrient regimes on postharvest attributes of onion irrigated with microsprinkler irrigation system under semi-arid climate for 3 consecutive years (2002–2004). Soil moisture regime consisted of four irrigation treatments based on pan evaporation replenishment (0.60, 0.80, 1.00 and 1.20 Ep). Similarly, three fertigation treatments were tried with nutrient application rates of 100 (50:25:25), 150 (75, 37.5, 37.5) and 200 (100:50:50) kg/ha of NPK. Irrigation and fertigation had marked effect on yield, postharvest attributes and storability of onion. Irrigation at 1.20 Ep and fertigation at 200 kg/ha produced higher bulb and dry matter yield, mean bulb size and weight, which decreased with the decrease in amount of irrigation and fertigation. The percentage of B-grade bulbs, which is considered commercially important, had been considerably higher at 1.20 Ep of irrigation and 200 kg/ha of fertigation. TSS increased up to 1.00 Ep and then declined slightly, whereas it varied with fertigation significantly. A decreasing trend for protein content was recorded with the increase in irrigation from 0.60 to 1.20 Ep, however, protein content increased with increase in fertigation. Irrigation at 0.80 Ep and fertigation @ 200 kg/ha resulted into minimum physiological loss in weight (%) for onion during 60 days of storage. But for extended storage period, increasing fertigation and decreasing irrigation had adverse effect on storability of bulbs. Theoretically, 416 mm irrigation water was found optimum for maximizing the dry matter yield of onion. Studies indicated that onion crop should be irrigated at 1.0 Ep under microsprinkler irrigation regime for better postharvest attributes. Similarly, fertigation @ 150 kg/ha is most desirable for micro sprinkler irrigated onion crop under semi-arid climate of India.
Carbon labels inform consumers about the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) released during the production and consumption of goods, including food. In the future consumer and legislative responses to carbon labels may favour goods with lower emissions, and thereby change established supply chains. This may have unintended consequences.We present the carbon footprint of three horticultural goods of different origins supplied to the United Kingdom market: lettuce, broccoli and green beans. Analysis of these footprints enables the characterisation of three different classes of vulnerability which are related to: transport, national economy and supply chain specifics.There is no simple relationship between the characteristics of an exporting country and its vulnerability to the introduction of a carbon label. Geographically distant developing countries with a high level of substitutable exports to the UK are most vulnerable. However, many developing countries have low vulnerability as their main exports are tropical crops which would be hard to substitute with local produce.In the short term it is unlikely that consumers will respond to carbon labels in such a way that will have major impacts in the horticultural sector. Labels which require contractual reductions in GHG emissions may have greater impacts in the short term.
As an apparent counterpoint to globalization, food system localization is often assumed to be a good, progressive and desirable process. Such thinking rests on a local–global binary that merits closer scrutiny. This paper examines the social construction of “local”, by analyzing the practice and politics of food system localization efforts in Iowa, USA. It argues that desirable social or environmental outcomes may not always map neatly onto the spatial content of “local”, which itself involves the social construction of scale. These contradictions in turn relate to differing political inflections discernible in food system localization. Localization can be approached defensively, emphasizing the boundaries and distinctions between a culturally and socially homogeneous locality needing protection from non-local “others”. But through the experience of new social and gustatory exchanges, localization can also promote increased receptivity to difference and diversity. More emergent, fluid and inclusive notions of the “local”, however, may challenge the very project of crafting and maintaining distinctive food identities for local places. These themes are explored through a case study of food system localization efforts and activities in Iowa, an American state that has been a stronghold of conventional commodity agriculture. Demographic and agricultural histories are drawn on to understand recent food system localization practice that has come to emphasize a definition of “local” that coincides with sub-national state boundaries. The emergence and popularization of the “Iowa-grown banquet meal” and the shifting meaning of “local Iowa food” further illustrate the potential tension between defensiveness and diversity in food system localization.
This article reviews the progression of refrigerants, from early uses to the present, and then addresses future directions and candidates. The article breaks the history into four refrigerant generations based on defining selection criteria. It discusses displacement of earlier working fluids, with successive criteria, and how interest in some early refrigerants re-emerged, for example renewed interest in those now identified as “natural refrigerants.” The paper examines the outlook for current options in the contexts of existing international agreements, including the Montreal and Kyoto Protocols to avert stratospheric ozone depletion and global climate change, respectively. It also examines other environmental concerns and further international and local control measures. The discussion illustrates how isolated attention to individual environmental issues or regulatory requirements, in contrast to coordinated responses to the several issues together, can result in unintended environmental harm that almost certainly will require future reversals. It identifies pending policy and regulatory changes that may impact the next generation of refrigerants significantly.
This paper evaluates the impact on greenhouse gas emissions of beef produced under different management systems and compares these results with the estimated biophysical capital alteration of these same systems. The environmental impacts of a specific intensive US feedlot system and a traditional African pastoral system are calculated using a methodology that includes the major land-use and energy-related emissions. Although assessments of carbon dioxide emissions find much greater impacts related to the US feedlot mode, the methane intensity of the pastoral mode is much larger because of the lower productivity of these systems. It is found that when indirect sources, which include emissions from fossil fuels and foregone carbon storage on appropriated land, are considered as well as emissions from enteric fermentation and wastes, the social costs of the feedlot system at 15 kg CO2 equivalent/kg beef are more than double that of the pastoralist system. Accordingly, the results of the more complete greenhouse gas emissions analysis were found to converge somewhat with the biophysical capital alteration approach in this example, although it is also argued that the entropy-based environmental indicators may have limited use in evaluating agro-ecosystems' contribution to climate change. Given an assumed, albeit uncertain, climate change impact value, a tax on beef production of about 9% of the unit price would represent the upper limit of the shadow costs of the associated greenhouse gas emissions flux from feedlot systems as estimated here, and a central value would correspond to a tax of about 4%.
This study develops a detailed methodology compatible to the Guidelines of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to assess the annual direct biogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) released from European agriculture. This approach relies on emission factors and regression equations derived from all long-term measurements in Europe available by the end of 2001. Applying the methodology, the biogenic GHG emissions from agriculture within the European Union (EU) and within its Member States are calculated for the period from 1975 to 1997 at a spatial resolution of regions or federal states (NUTS 1–2 level). As a result, in 1995, European agriculture emitted 0.84±0.19 Tg N2O, 8.1±2.0 Tg CH4 and 39 Tg±25 CO2, which adds up to 470±80 Tg CO2-equivalents or 11% of the overall GHG emissions. At the EU level, these numbers are surprisingly close to the official inventory submitted under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). But compared with the latter, the approach taken here leads to higher agricultural CH4 emissions in Austria and the Netherlands, at least 20% lower CH4 emissions in Denmark, Germany, Greece, Spain and Sweden and higher N2O emissions in most EU Member States. In countries with—even small—areas of farmed organic soils, CO2 emitted from peat oxidation can significantly contribute to the overall emissions. Hence, only the detailed approach adequately resolves regional and national specifics of agricultural conditions. It furthermore reduces the uncertainty in the emissions estimates to half of the one in inventories based on the IPCC Guidelines. Fair agreement with inverse atmospheric models was achieved. These results suggest that the methodology developed and applied here could serve as a significantly improved standard for official inventories of biogenic GHG emissions from EU Member States.
The effects of water blanching, freezing, and frozen storage during 400 days at three different temperatures (−7, −15 and −30 °C), on watercress (Nasturtium officinale R. Br.) colour Hunter Lab parameters, chlorophyll degradation, vitamin C content loss and peroxidase (POD) activity were evaluated. The blanching induced significant changes on colour values and chlorophylls and vitamin C contents. POD activity was reduced 85% from its initial value. Freezing did not affect chlorophylls and vitamin C levels, however, promoted significant differences in colour values and POD residual activity. During frozen storage, ascorbic acid (AA) and POD activity degradations followed first-order kinetics, and colour parameters (LH · aH · bH, −aH/bH, LH · aH/bH, LH/aH · bH and hue ()) were successfully described by zero-order kinetics. The storage temperature effect was successfully described by the Arrhenius law. Chlorophylls and dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA) contents were kept constant during frozen storage.
Carbon footprints estimate the total amount of greenhouse gases emitted during the production, processing and retailing of consumer goods. The aim is to identify major sources of emissions in supply chains to inform relevant stakeholders so that actions can be taken to reduce emissions. Carbon footprints can also be communicated to consumers via carbon labels. This chapter first describes the principles of carbon footprinting and labelling, and presents some examples of carbon footprints of food products. It then discusses problems in calculating carbon footprints and finally speculates on future developments of the methodology and its application.
This article discusses the carbon accounting and carbon-labelling schemes being developed to address growing concerns over climate change. Its particular concern is their impact on small stakeholders, especially low-income countries. The popular belief that trade is by definition problematic is not true; carbon efficiencies elsewhere in the supply chain may more than offset emissions from transportation. Indeed, low-income countries may offer important opportunities for carbon emission reductions because of their favourable climatic conditions and use of low energy-intensive production techniques. However, their effective inclusion in labelling schemes will require innovative solutions to provide low-cost data collection and certification. Copyright (c) The Authors 2009. Journal compilation (c) 2009 Overseas Development Institute..
Agricultural food production and agriculturally-related change in land use substantially contribute to greenhouse-gas emissions worldwide. Four-fifths of agricultural emissions arise from the livestock sector. Although livestock products are a source of some essential nutrients, they provide large amounts of saturated fat, which is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. We considered potential strategies for the agricultural sector to meet the target recommended by the UK Committee on Climate Change to reduce UK emissions from the concentrations recorded in 1990 by 80% by 2050, which would require a 50% reduction by 2030. With use of the UK as a case study, we identified that a combination of agricultural technological improvements and a 30% reduction in livestock production would be needed to meet this target; in the absence of good emissions data from Brazil, we assumed for illustrative purposes that the required reductions would be the same for our second case study in São Paulo city. We then used these data to model the potential benefits of reduced consumption of livestock products on the burden of ischaemic heart disease: disease burden would decrease by about 15% in the UK (equivalent to 2850 disability-adjusted life-years [DALYs] per million population in 1 year) and 16% in São Paulo city (equivalent to 2180 DALYs per million population in 1 year). Although likely to yield benefits to health, such a strategy will probably encounter cultural, political, and commercial resistance, and face technical challenges. Coordinated intersectoral action is needed across agricultural, nutritional, public health, and climate change communities worldwide to provide affordable, healthy, low-emission diets for all societies.
Background, Aim and Scope The usual route for improvement of agricultural practice towards sustainability runs via labelling schemes for products or farm practices. In most approaches requirements are set in absolute terms, disregarding the variation in environmental performance of farms. Another approach for promoting sustainable farming concerns the concept of benchmarking, which takes into account competition among farmers. The individual agricultural performance is characterized by quantitative criteria and compared with scores of other relevant farms. Methods Therefore, a pilot study has been conducted in the Netherlands concerning benchmarking among arable farmers in the Internet involving crop protection. A voluntary Dutch benchmark initiative in the Internet is described including farmers' perception regarding the tool. Results The results show that the benchmark tool in the Internet allows farmers to compare their environmental and economic performance anonymously and securely in a large-scale open-access environment. The pilot group of farmers responded positively to the instrument. An important factor in success is the ease and speed with which data can be entered into the benchmark tool. Conclusions A benchmark tool for comparing the environmental performance among farmers can form the basis for agreements between farmers and their costumers. An application involving food industry and retailers is discussed.
En esta obra se muestran los beneficios económicos y ambientales que se obtendrían al fortalecer la agricultura y la producción de alimentos de manera local. Se sostiene que aún con pequeños cambios en su forma de producción y en su venta pueden lograr, por un lado, que se recupere la diversidad agrícola y, por otro, que se reduzcan los precios de los productos, al contar con alimentos más sanos y frescos, que han no ha sido necesario transportar desde largas distancias.