The 20,000 Mile Meal

Photo © Rob Jones

It’s madness at least, and thought provoking at best.

A chance comment in the depth of Winter by a friend, ‘Oh, look. These blueberries come from Chile,’ sent me scuttling into the rubbish bin to fish out the labels from the most recent food shopping trip.

Result (Rough distance in miles from home in brackets):

Lettuce - Spain (1300)
Apples - France (560)
Mushrooms - Poland (1300)
Tomatoes - Morocco (2100)
Potatoes - Pembrokshire - Yay…. (150)
Kiwi Fruit - Greece (2500)
Oranges - Spain (1300)
Avocado - Israel (3200)
Onions - Netherlands (490)
Garlic - Spain (1300)
Blueberries - Chile (7100)
Watercress - Florida (4100)
Spring Onions - Spain (1300)
Risotto Rice - Italy, maybe - It could have come from Arkansas, California or Missouri. (1400)
Sea Bass - Turkey or Greece (2100)
Peas - kenya (6500)

So tonight’s dinner of Fried Sea Bass, Mushroom, Tomato, Garlic and Spring Onion Risotto, with Peas and a Watercress garnish …. travelled more than 20,000 miles to my plate.

Photo © Rob Jones

Anyway, so it was delicious. (Risotto Recipe here)

But thought provoking too. The item produced closest to home on the plate was the Pembrokeshire potatoes at 150 miles. The farthest - the peas at 6500 miles.

What does this say?

It says that we have an amazing worldwide logistic operation in place to bring us the food we want, but don’t neccesarily need?

It says we probably don’t spend much time considering the origin of the food we eat?

It says we are more concerned about the price of food, than whether UK producers can make ends meet.

But of course for many, cost is important.

But does it really make more sense to import peas from Kenya than use home grown? Or mushroms, or tomatoes, or onions or fish. They grow watercress on Anglesey, 20 miles away.

If it’s true that ‘we’ll build back greener’ then probably change is on the way.

If it’s true.

RJ