Is your food carbon neutral?
Once again, Britain’s Guardian Unlimited brilliantly sums up 21st century food issues. “You’re trapped in a moral maze,” writes Mimi Spencer in Sunday’s edition. “Local, seasonal, organic? Fairtrade, sustainable, ethical? Unprocessed, free-range, farm-assured? And then there’s the packaging. If it’s dressed like a prom queen, it’s out.”
Even the traditional British “cuppa” is subject to new moral dilemmas. I’m not talking about fair trade issues; that’s old news. The latest in British eco-shopping is “carbon-neutral” products, such as “Green Green Tea”. And trendy local eateries that used to boast their food’s “organic” qualifications are now vaunting their carbon credentials.
The term “carbon neutral” refers to the maintenance of a balance between producing and using carbon. Examples are growing plants to use as fuel or planting trees in cities to compensate for vehicle emissions.
For food, this means calculating the carbon dioxide emissions from growing and transporting food, then investing in an activity such as planting trees in order to offset the damage to the environment.
I just got back from a trip to London, and I loved the vegetarian, organic, and generally politically correct bent to a lot of what was going into my mouth. But how far can all of these well-meaning trends go? How many socio-eco-political issues can one really mull over before sipping a simple cup of tea? And which ones do you think are the most important?
