Paradoxes of sustainability: when buying local product pollutes more

[Inkriql]

Food has become a small maze that many consumers do not know how to get out. Studies, research, advertising messages and environmental recommendations do not always coincide. There is a good reason for the level of confusion to be greater than one might expect. And it goes beyond that calculating the emission footprint of what we consume is a titanic task because of the enormous multitude of aspects that must be taken into account, but the most important thing is that what is worth for some is inefficient for others, when Try to make the diet healthy for the planet.

It is clear that consuming local, seasonal and organic products is a good idea. That is precisely why a healthy diet for you (which should be established gradually) and for the planet varies depending on where you live. It is true that olive oil is a nutritional treasure, and that it is as good for a person born in Africa as for one who saw the light of the world for the first time in Japan. But transporting the ingredients of the Mediterranean pantry to countries such as Japan, Norway, Sweden or Kenya is not exactly healthy for the environment. "The type of food that can be grown will be different depending on where you live. If you try to have a diet that has a more global basis, there are environmental (and economic and social) implications in doing so," Sean Beer tells BUENAVIDA, Associate Professor of Agriculture at the University of Bournemouth, in the United Kingdom.

The way of producing food, the use of fertilizers and pesticides, the emissions of gases derived from transport, the consumption of fresh water that comes with agri-food production ... "I hate to say it, but all the factors are important," says Beer, who says A curious example to corroborate it. For the British like him, eating New Zealand lamb has less environmental impact than putting on the table the produce produced by farmers in their environment. It turns out that New Zealand production uses fewer fertilizers, has larger farms and an efficient transport system that allows more meat to be transported with less emissions. "This results in less greenhouse gases per kilogram of meat," says the scientist in an article published in The Conversation. Beer gives more examples, such as that for a while it was more efficient - both environmentally and economically - to send British seafood to Asia to be processed and returned to the islands ready for consumption. As for Europeans, it is more polluting to consume meat than in Australia.
Seabass, in Spain, and salmon, in Norway

Sardines, sea bass and anchovies, olives, oranges and tomatoes are part of a healthy diet for people, but it is not always as good for the planet. It is when we consume people who live in the Mediterranean basin, but in Scandinavian countries the best will be the consumption of red fruits, apples, cabbage, fatty fish, grain cereals or carrots. It should not be a problem, since, not in vain, the World Health Organization compares Nordic eating habits with the Mediterranean diet and says that both cases "have been identified as healthy diets specific to their region," according to a study by 2018.

The diet based on numerous products of plant origin and roots in African countries such as Ethiopia has facilitated that there are hardly any types of cancer and that cardiovascular problems associated with consumption arise. In Japan, fish and vegetables are the basis of the diet and its inhabitants are among the longest in the world. There are plenty of examples that contrast with the idea that we should all aspire to cook the same foods, which happen to be the best for health.

"The dietary recommendations are based on nutrients and what different foods can bring us," says Julia Wärnberg, the professor at the University of Malaga who leads the PREDIMED-PLUS project at the institution, which studies the benefits of the Mediterranean diet. Hence, salmon, which comes from northern Europe, can be substituted for other Mediterranean fish and, conversely, vitamin C from Valencian oranges can be obtained from broccoli or currants that occur in more northern latitudes. "The important thing is to take fresh produce from the environment in which you reside," insists the specialist. Canned foods and pickles also play an important role there: they load our food pantries at times when they are not available.
When the super is better than the local store

Specialists stress that the Spanish climate and nearby countries allow cultivation throughout the year, and that we can obtain the necessary different nutrients from different foods. However, not half of the Spanish follow the Mediterranean diet. Hence the market is one of the keys. It's the lug

Although there are conditions. Not always going to markets or local stores is the best option if, for this, one uses the car through different areas, looking for food to fill the pantry. "Driving around the region by car for small amounts of food is probably less sustainable for the environment than buying in supermarkets, because they use large trucks, and this economy of scale decreases the carbon load in transport," says the professor Sean Beer It's like following a vegetarian diet acquiring products out of season, wrapped in plastic and for which industrial fertilizers have been used.

"It is, in summary, to return to tradition, to eat what you have around you," said María Teresa García, a researcher at the Higher Council for Scientific Research. For García, "an orange is always good to take it, whatever the time of the year it is," but it also bets on seasonal consumption, by choosing, for example, that vitamin C of other fruits or vegetables when in summer there are no oranges in field. There is nothing more to ask the older people of cities and towns to know what they have taken in their lives at each time of the year. "We have to restore ourselves in terms of our values, our money and how we spend our time to live more sustainably," Beer insists. "The seasonal rhythms of the earth reconnect us with our home," reflects the British researcher. And he concludes: "The rewards of a local and seasonal food supply are excellent for nature and health. Reconnecting with the land and its seasonal rhythms could do us all very well."
Mediterranean diet for everyone?

The Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest that exists. Virgin olive oil has numerous beneficial properties, cereals have a high fiber content, vegetables are a source of antioxidants ... And it goes beyond food, because it also includes aspects such as the number of meals at day, as well as social life, hours of sun or daily exercise. Even he came in moderation and respecting customs. "It's more than a diet, it's a habit of life," explains María Teresa García, a researcher at the Higher Council for Scientific Research. This way of feeding and living - declared as a world intangible heritage by Unesco - is beneficial for the human being, where he resides. However, would it also be good for the planet if it is exported to other countries? "There is added an energy expense of transport and conservation and increase of emissions or cost of the product," adds Garcia from the Department of Food Science and Technology of the Center for Edaphology and Applied Biology of Segura, in Murcia. The calculation is complex, but the question is very simple. What is better for the planet?