Food Miles

Disturbing story in the Observer this past Sunday:

Most Britons do not care where the fruit and vegetables they buy come from, are not motivated to buy British and don't consider 'food miles' in their purchases ... 61 per cent are not concerned which country their produce came from, with only 9 per cent describing themselves as 'very concerned' ... only 36 per cent of shoppers know what 'food miles' are - the distance goods have travelled to reach the British shops.

Changing this is part of a long-term struggle to ethically embed consumer purchases. Hopefully, the Fairtrade movement is only the first step in a wider shift.

It's important if industrially-grown onions with pesticide-residues come from a continent away, versus local organic onions from farms that pay a living wage.

If you want to support one kind of society over the other, make more choices (read labels, choose independent providers, consider buying organic) when you do a weekly shop in a local store in Coventry.