UK asks : Should we buy produce flown in from abroad?

The Soil Association, the biggest organic body in Britain, may slap a ban on air-freighting. It is asking suppliers, the public and other interested parties for their views on flying in food to the UK. There are five options: 1. No change; 2. Labelling air miles; 3. Offsetting carbon from flights; 4. A selective ban; 5. A total ban.

Organic food is supposed to be kind to the environment so air-freighting is deeply unpopular with many shoppers. A ban would ease pressure on climate change and restore public trust in the integrity of organic food. But it could cause a split in the organic movement if importers leave the Soil Association, which certifies 75 per cent of organic food. It could also harm the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of impoverished workers in developing countries.

The problem is large, and growing. Air-freighting is increasing rapidly and is extraordinary in scale. Baby corn is flown 5,900 miles from Thailand to reach British shelves. It is estimated that air-freighting just one small 225g punnet of New Zealand strawberries to the UK is equivalent to the Co2 emissions from 11 schools runs in the car. And although only one per cent of food is flown in, that one per cent accounts for 10 per cent of Britain's food-related CO2 emissions.

The amount of food grown in this country we eat has been falling steadily since 1990. Food miles are increasing as Britain becomes wealthier, grows less of its own food and imports more. We have become more gastronomically adventurous and have acquired a taste for exotic fruit. We also expect fresh produce to be available all year round regardless of the seasons.

How would a ban affect developing countries?

Aid experts say that banning air-freighted food would harm producers in many countries, especially in Africa. They argue that it would be grossly unfair to penalise poor farmers who emit a tiny amount of carbon, rather than take action to cut the far larger amounts emitted by profligate nations in the West. The average Briton emits 9.2 tonnes and an African one tonne. Bill Vorley, of the International Institute for Environment and Development, says : "Airfreight of fresh fruit and vegetables from sub-Saharan Africa accounts for less than 0.1 per cent of total UK carbon emissions. The UK must first look to the huge impacts of our food system at home, before pulling up the ladder on Africa."

So is the climate a bigger priority than the Third World?

This is the crux of the argument. Environmentalists believe air-freighting large amounts of fresh food thousands of miles away is hugely irresponsible to the environment while the climate is being disturbed. They argue that the West should not be encouraging the development of such unsustainable agriculture; people in Grimsby don't need to east fresh pineapple from Ghana.

Should we ban air-freighted food?

Yes...

Air-freighted food causes immense damage to the environment and is totally unnecessary for the diet. Air food miles rose by 136 per cent in the decade to 2002, while British farmers have struggled. A ban would encourage people to eat with the seasons, taking advantage of nature's supply of local nutritious food.

No...

A ban would devastate the livelihoods of more than one million poor people in the developing world who rely on exports to survive. Air-freighting allows the supply of fruits fresh, maintaining more of their nutrients. Far less energy is expended in growing crops in the developing world than it is in the UK.

The Independent