After just a week I have begun to notice as I try and stick by the rules of food buying that there is a continuing dilemma occurring…
This can best be summed up thus LOCAL vs ORGANIC vs WASTE.
A lot of the organic produce that is from tropical areas is brought in by train or on trucks from the north to get to Melbourne. And then there is the organic produce that is brought in by cans or in plastic packaging from overseas – see here for ‘food miles‘.
When buying non-organic local produce there is no way of telling how the fruit and veg was farmed when you pick it up and it is loose. And even when you do know where it comes from, because it is not organic it doesn’t need to abide by strict codes of conduct.
And finally the total ubiquity of plastic packaging across the whole food spectrum is mind boggling. If one says to themselves that they will not buy any product that cannot be recycled then the sheer volume of plastic is overwhelming. There is also part of me that says even using tubs or bottles that can be recycled is a bit of a cop out because there was oil used in the production of them to bring them into existence.
Unfortunately there is no way to add up the carbon i have used when choosing any of these three options so it remains a mystery to me what i should prioritise.
Essentially by the end of 2009 I want to try and be living a lifestyle where I am abiding by all the food rules all the time. This will take some research and good organisation as not all of the products will be in the one shop.
