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Fairtrade, Organic or Locally Produced Food?
Author: David OglazaShould I purchase food and products that support workers in Third World by buying Fairtrade labelled products even though these goods normally travel thousands of miles from Africa, South America or South East Asia? What if these foods were produced with the use of pesticides and additives? It makes sense then to look for and to purchase Fairtrade, organic food to both assist the producers in the Third World and fulfil my lifestyle selection to eat healthy and additive/pesticide free food. Thankfully, many producers are now wising up to this dilemma by increasingly producing organic and Fairtrade labelled products. I am currently using Fairtrade, organic t-bags at home! Now comes another necessary question, should I purchase Fairly Traded organic sugar from Kenya that has travelled thousands of miles, or should I purchase apples grown in the UK (ideally from a farmers market) that have only travelled only a few hundred miles which means less carbon dioxide and other nasty emissions from the lorries that you see constantly on the motorways in the UK? Buying UK products not only ensures less food miles but also supports local farmers, communities and economies. Unfortunately, selection is often limited and can be more expensive then food produced in other countries......... Decisions, decisions, it's probably best to abstain from eating and give your selection making brain a rest!
But I can safely say that I make attempts to avoid food or products that have travelled from far away destinations such as Australia even if they are organic! Next time you are in the supermarket or wherever you purchase your food from check the labels and you will be surprised by how far your food has travelled. Also look at the amount of unnecessary wrapping such as individually wrapped peppers, mushrooms and kiwi fruit in wrapped boxes. When I purchase from the local market I tell them to throw it all into one bag, the customer next to me often has 10 individually wrapped portions of fruit and veg. That's 11 (10 plus one enormous plastic bag) bags into the landfill site that day. For maximum eco efficiency we need to be using jute or other bags made from recycled materials and putting all the loose food into that. For recycled bags, Fairtrade and Organic companies, products and food see GuideMeGreen's green directory.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/fairtrade-organic-or-locally-produced-food-23264.html
About the Author:David Oglaza is the founder of the Green and Ethical directory GuideMeGreen . This growing green resource lists 100s of Organic, Fairtrade, Eco and Ethical companies. Green jobs and a discussion board coming soon!
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Keywords:
food organic fairtrade products green produced travelled miles