Seasonal Vegetables
Food in Season
Fifty years ago most of the fruit and vegetables we ate were ‘in season’. They had been grown outside and in Britain. This meant that many things were only available for a few months of the year.
Food in Season
Even things like tangerines only appeared just before Christmas. There were some exceptions, such as oranges and bananas that were always available.
Food in Season
Now many fruits and vegetables are grown in heated greenhouses, transported a long way or stored in fridges or freezers so we can buy anything anytime.
Foods in Season
But this uses energy and adds to Climate Change. It also often doesn’t taste as good as the fresh, in season food.
Foods in Season
If we buy fresh vegetables grown locally, unprocessed and with no or very little packaging, then energy has only been used to.....
Foods in Season
Make fertilizers and pesticides (unless they are organic and then these will not be used)
Work on the farm
Transport them in a lorry
Cook them (unless you eat some of them raw)
Foods in Season
Strawberries are usually only in season in Britain between the end of May and the end of July, tomatoes from the end of June to October and french beans from July to the beginning of September.
Food in Season
But we can buy them all year year round in supermarkets.
Foods in Season
The fresh green beans are usually flown from Southern Africa and will have caused 25 times more greenhouse gases than locally grown ones in season.
Food Miles
Food is the fastest growing air freighted commodity but growing food in heated greenhouses also has a big impact.
Food Miles
Locally grown doesn’t always mean low impact if it is out of season. It uses more energy to grow tomatoes in heated greenhouses in Britain than to bring them by lorry from Southern Europe.
Food Miles
Luckily most of our food, including lots of fruits and vegetables, come by sea, which is much more efficient.
Food Miles
The things that are flown are vegetables and fruits that need to stay very fresh and also flowers, many of which are now grown in Africa.
Food Miles
Things like bananas, oranges, apples and usually even mangoes and pineapples usually
come by ship. Less than 1% of the food transported comes by air.
Food Miles
It can take forty times more energy to move a tonne of goods the same distance by air as by sea or train.
Food Miles
The energy used to move things by road varies enormously depending on the size of the van or lorry and how full it is, but it is about seven times as much as by sea or train.
Food Miles
Sometimes more energy is used by customers driving to the shops than has been used in producing that food.
Activities
Activity
Design a menu using seasonal foods which would appeal to young children.