Food flown into the UK may be stripped of organic status because of concern about greenhouse gas emissions. The move is being considered by the Soil Association, which certifies what foods are organic, reports the BBC. Due to growing demands to cut the environmental impact of food distribution, the organization is considering five options to reduce the carbon footprint of air-freighted food, including an outright ban, or showing a product’s country of origin, and/or carbon offsetting schemes.
Let’s hope the UK gives this overdue boost to local foods (check out more on this movement in “No Bar Code,” Mother Jones, May/Jun 2006)… And for some really interesting developments on this much-needed front, Mark Heffernan in Wisconsin tells me of some community-based food systems in his area, as well as fascinating developments in the field of vertical farming, designed to feed urban populations… Wow. Food never looked so sci-fi. –JULIA WHITTY
