The Fallacy of Food Miles

Covid-19 has made people even more aware of food security and food miles, with more calls to eat local and avoid food imports. While there are some benefits, it will not help reduce the carbon footprint of our food. Transportation accounts for only 6% of agricultural GHG emissions globally. Most of the global trade in food is moved by ship, generating 25 - 250 x fewer emissions than trucking. Air freight puts out 5 x more emissions than trucking but applies to only a very few food items. Most emissions come from how our food is produced, not how it is transported. www.chathamhouse.org