Study: ‘Food Miles’ Benefit Of Organic Food Overrated

June 11, 2007

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A new study from the University of Alberta finds that organic food may not be any better for the planet, Supermarket News reports (via MediaPost).

Based on the concept of food miles, the annual environmental cost for a city the size of Edmonton, Canada, for transporting organic produce ranged from $156,000 to $175,000 (Canadian) and discharged up to 7,000 tons of carbon dioxide.

Conventional produce came in at $135,000 to $183,000 and discharged up to 7,500 tons of carbon dioxide.

The nearly identical margins indicate there is virtually no benefit to sourcing organic produce as a way of reducing food miles, according to the article.

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Reader Comments

There seems to be confusion that organic means local. In fact, big organic – i.e., While Foods – is as guilty if not guiltier of adding to food miles as any regular market. An organic peach grown in Chile has the same food miles as a regular peach flown in from there.

zippy | August 4th, 2009

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