Environmental cost of Sweden's imported food

[jpak]

http://www.energybulletin.net/22737.html

In Sweden, as in other industrial countries, food travels across continents and over oceans before it reaches the table. Two new publications examine how much energy and greenhouse gases are produced in producing food and getting it to Sweden. Both of them are starting points for discussion rather than peer-reviewed literature-and the discussions turn up some surprises.

On November 14, the Stockholm Consumer's Association released a study of the environmental effect of broccoli production and transport to Stockholm. The study was carried out by the Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology. Broccoli was chosen as a case study because the broccoli sold in Sweden comes from just a few countries with very different agricultural conditions.

The "Broccoli report" showed that broccoli produced in Sweden led to 60% less greenhouse emissions than imported broccoli. And 99% of all broccoli that is consumed in Sweden is imported, with Spain and Ecuador as major exporters. Interestingly enough, transporting the broccoli from Ecuador produced about 40% of the greenhouse gas emissions of transporting Spanish broccoli even though the broccoli from Ecuador is transported 12,000 km compared to 3,200 km for Spanish broccoli. Ecuador's broccoli is shipped by boat to Rotterdam, by feeder boat to Gothenburg, Sweden, and then by truck to Stockholm. Spanish broccoli travels by truck the entire way.

The report also calculates the economic costs of broccoli from different sources. Switching entirely to Swedish-produced broccoli would cost more than twice as much as the current mix of 1% Swedish, 33% Spanish, and 66% Ecuadorian and Guatemalan.

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[melissinha]

1. Interesting

I am wondering whether they are considering decreasing the Spanish imports as a result.

[XemaSab]

2. This is exactly the rationale behind the 100 mile diet

Home grown broccoli is WAY less environmentally costly. Why should the Swedes get Ecuadoran broccoli? And why should Spanish broccoli be so resource intensive?

If you literally can't grow broccoli in Sweden, grow something else, but don't trash the planet to get your crucifers.