61,488 miles and counting

A few weeks ago, my friend Katie Davis challenged me to tally the number of miles my food travels for one days worth of meals. I considered writing on one of my "good days", like a day when I actually made it to a farmer's market. Instead I chose yesterday, an average busy Monday, where I could get some real insight into just how much fuel it takes to fill my belly.

Of course I couldn't count everything I ate, but what I did count was astonishing: it took 61,488 miles of some serious truck-driving for me to feel full in one day. That includes a broad range of food, with the farthest thing travelling from New York. Do I need to get my yogurt from New York? No. Did I realize my yogurt was from New York? No. Was there a lesson learned here? I think so.

It is interesting looking at food labels (in this case from Trader Joes) because it is hard to tell exactly where the food comes from. On a couple of the labels, I noticed a lot of different distribution centers, but not necessarily the origin of the food. Just like my discovery about the "Plastic Domino Effect" in my last post, I realized that many of these labels list where a food has been made or packaged, but you may never know where each ingredient comes from. Ingredients coming from all over the world may be combined in California and get a California label. In cases like these, fuel consumption is incredibly high and you may never know just how much energy it really takes to get you full. The Utne Reader just had a great article about the "eco-myth" that is Trader Joes and despite their careful marketing as a green-friendly place, it's important to research individual food labels to find out a food's origin.

As I've discovered in previous posts, busyness and laziness often mean decreased green in my life. This is certainly true with this challenge as well. Tallying miles once again confirmed the importance of making time to go to the farmer's market. Food sold at most farmer's markets around the bay comes from within 100 miles of its origin. Even if I made a huge feast, I imagine I could get all the ingredients for less than a quarter the number of miles it took to feed me yesterday. Plus, shopping at a farmer's market eliminates the guesswork of where different ingredients originate: just ask the farmer.

So, I'm going to commit to go to the farmer's market down the street on Saturday. It is the obvious and simple solution to many of the issues I've been writing about in this blog. It's not as easy as the grocery store, but that's the whole point of this blog!

I'm curious to hear how each of you purchase food and if you look at each label to find out a food's origin. Do you put something back if it comes from a certain number of miles away? Leave a comment on my blog and please share any advice on the topic!