delicate

…consumers

FOOD INFO VS. FOOD TRAVEL

POTATO JAM ‘06
THE WORLD’S IN A JAM…

Potatoes travel miles to be packaged and
are sent back to be sold where produced!

http://www.spudstravels.com/

Food Miles

A food mile is how far food travels from the farmer who produces it to the consumer who eats it. That includes the journey from farm to processor, then from processor to retailer and finally from retailer to consumer. It includes travel within the UK as well as between countries.

Where does food come from?

Consumers have little or no knowledge about the implications of their food purchases, nor how far food has traveled before it reaches their plates. In a study on food miles in the UK, 47% of people do not know where their food comes from.

WHAT DO WE KNOW?

Consumers are not completely informed about the origin of products and food travel mile impacts on health, life-styles, and the environment. And although the organic food industry in the UK has increased by over 10%, paradoxically, organic does not always mean ‘better’ in terms of energy costs. Thus, even trade-offs exist when facing a choice to go local, organic, or mass-produced.

Attempts to inform consumers often result in unclear, limited, and misleading communication strategies. Furthermore, item labels are too small and vague, advertisements are not visible, and the shopping experience is un-engaging- reinforcing shoppers’ always-on-the-go attitudes to spill over into an activity (food shopping) that was once a relaxing social experience.



A RECENT SURVEY SHOWS...

● 47% of people don’t know where the food they buy is produced
● 37% said they bought locally produced food more than once a week
● 88% thought locally-produced food caused less transport pollution than the alternatives
● 82% thought that it was more trusted by consumers generally
● 77% thought locally-produced food was fresher
● 67% thought it was better for their health
● 64% thought it was produced to higher welfare standards
● 58% thought it was produced to higher hygiene standards
● 49% were concerned that more than a third of UK food comes from abroad

…they’d still prefer to buy local food if it was clearly labelled
● 83% said they would, 16% said they wouldn’t

...but they reckon it’s more expensive
● 61% thought it was typically more expensive than food bought in a supermarket
● 21% thought it was the same price
● 14% thought it was cheaper

Carried out by NOP over the weekend of April 1/2 2006 Supported by Triodos Bank,
specialists in sustainable agriculture http://www.fwi.co.uk/gr/foodmiles/survey.html

WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS?

The 21st century is increasingly being challenged by environmental sustainability where as humans must face the environmental, social, and ethical implications of their attitudes, choices, and behavior. Human activity is causing global warming, altering ecosystems and the Earth’s capacity to sustain life.

A main factor causing this is humans’ consumption of food. Food has evolved from a basic necessity to a product produced to gain year-round availability, profit, and consumer loyalty, while many areas of the world have limiting access to this food.

Food travels long distances by HGVs, LGVs, air, and ship to maintain a competitive market in the food-trading industry – all at the expense of our quality of life.

London's food economy accounts for £1.6billion of consumer spending.

London has a huge diversity of food cultures representing 60 cuisines.

The food that we eat accounts for 41% of London's ecological footprint.

Food system = farmers, freight companies, restaurants, consumers, multinationals.

(1) Transporting food large distances uses a lot of fuel, whether it travels by lorry or plane. That means more carbon dioxide emissions and more global warming.

(2) The further food has to travel, the longer it spends in transit. That means vitamins are lost and nutritional values inevitably decline.

(3) As time goes by, a greater and greater proportion of UK food comes in from abroad. Air transport accounts for 1% of food miles, but 11% of food mile CO2 emissions.

(4) If all foods were sourced from within 20km of where they were consumed, the UK would save £2.1bn in environmental and congestion costs.

(5) Food produced on the other side of the world may be just as healthy and welfare friendly as the same food produced down the road, but it’s harder to check whether that’s the case.

(6) Consumers are also directly responsible for increased food miles. We now travel further for our shopping and use the car more often to do it. Each year, the average UK adult travels about 135 miles by car to shop for food, more often than not making trips to large, out-of-town supermarkets.
http://www.fwi.co.uk/gr/foodmiles/facts.html

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Should we cut down on food miles?

After air and water, food is the most essential resource people require to sustain themselves. Yet the way the food system provides food often severely damages the health of the biosphere.

The global food system has become such a dominant force shaping the surface of this planet and its ecosystems that we can no longer achieve sustainability without revamping the food system.

At the same time sustainable food systems provide great hope for building a sustainable future—a future in which all can lead satisfying lives within the means of the biosphere. http://www.foodroutes.org/hottopic.jsp?id=3

COMMUNICATING CHANGE

"The Stern report on climate change equips the chancellor with the case for a radical new approach to taxation " (Jackie Ashley6, The Guardian)

Today's aptly named Stern report on climate change is defensive.

At last we are at a turning point on climate change. David Miliband likens it to the wartime discussions which produced the Beveridge report and the welfare state. Certainly the shifts in tax, spending and behaviour will be at least as big, and probably bigger. There is one huge difference, though. That was about giving people something new.

GLOBAL WARMING

We have altered the chemical composition of the atmosphere through a buildup of greenhouse gase, primarily carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.

Rising global temperatures will cause sea level to rise, alter local climate conditions-affecting forests, crop yields, and water supplies. It will affect human health, animals, and ecosystems.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF WE DO NOT ACT NOW?

• Climate model simulations predict an increase in average surface air temperature of about 2.5°C by the year 2100 (Kattenberg et al., 1996).
• The likelihood of "killer" heat waves during the warm season will increase (Karl et al., 1997)
  The IPCC Second Assessment Report estimates that a sea-levels will rise by approximately 49 cm over the next 100 years, with a range of uncertainty of 20-86 cm.
• Sea-level rise will lead to increased coastal flooding through direct inundation and an increase in the base for storm surges, allowing flooding of larger areas and higher elevations.
• Further melting of the Arctic Ice Caps (at the current rate) could be sufficient to turn off the ocean currents that drive the Gulf Stream, which keeps Britain up to 6oC warmer than it would otherwise be.

http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,1934944,00.html#article_continue

good article on spiked as well:http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/2039/

“Turn off ! Switch off ! Unplug !??”

THE WRONG WAY TO COMMUNICATE
CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUES

BLACKOUT LONDON 4th November 2006

The idea of having London pitch-black is nice BUT it is not the way to engage people,

• it is scaring them off, creating a big, ugly, scary monster
• it is communicated as huge, scary, ugly
• it is communicated in a very negative way
• it is only taking things away from people

To engage with people the message needs to be communicated in a quite opposite way!

BLACKOUT LONDON

You are invited to take part in the largest demonstration of People Powerthat London has ever seen on Saturday 4th November 2006, by turning off all your lights, and switching off all your non-essential electricalequipment at Sunset 4.30 pm to 7.30 pm

Climate Change is already compromising the water supply, crops,habitat and livelihoods of millions of people worldwide, and threatens toundermine the Global Economy within a few decades, as well as creatingwaves of Climate Refugees, and driving countless animals and plants toextinction.

The principal cause of Global Warming is the rising Carbon Dioxideemissions into the atmosphere from the burning of Fossil Fuels, forelectricity generation, transport, manufacturing, industry, space heatingand air conditioning.

REMEMBER, REMEMBER, THE FOURTH OF NOVEMBER !

For one day in November, we are asking everyone who receives thismessage to think about what they can turn off, switch off and unplug,to show support.
We want the power demand in the United Kingdom toreduce so much that the newspapers are obliged to report it. We wantthe lights to go out in London, so that on the evening of 4th November2006, the dimming effect will be visible from space.
To protect us from the Enemy of Climate Change, we need a War onEnergy Abuse. Just like Britain during World War Two, we need to see aBlackout all over London.

CELEBRATE THE NIGHT OF POWER : TURN OFF ! SWITCH OFF ! UNPLUG !

WHAT WE BELIEVE

We support the notion of communicating credible information by triggering optimism, confidence, trust and collective social responsibility rather than fear, doom, and apathy. Linking socially responsibility with the perception of something larger than ourselves - seeing the bigger picture- influences pro-active behaviour. Socially resopnsible behaviors, attitudes, and perceptions enhance the power of human agency.

What WE CAN DO!

Recognise how WE personally impact global warming.
Measuring OUR Carbon Footprint can minimise OUR impact - starting today!
Carbon Footprint helps US make the right product choices in the future!!

WHAT, HOW, WHEN

.…are changes being made?

1. Carbon Footprint

Carbon Footprint is a measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of green house gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide.
Today it is more important than ever before to minimise your footprint. Not only are the developed western countries producing more and more carbon emissions, but there is a growing problem as the population in Africa and Asia start living improved lifestyles which consume more energy.

Balance your carbon footprint

• Plant a tree
• Carbon dioxide credits
• Invest in Sustainable Technology Development
• Donation of energy efficient technologies
• Carbon Footprint's Business Services
  

74% of British Population say that more information on a company's social and ethical behaviour would influence their purchasing decisions. - MORI, CSR study 2003
http://www.carbonfootprint.com/




2. WHEN PRODUCTS COMMUNICATE

The RFID technology is probably best known from logistics where the electronic bar code has primarily been deployed in the campaign against empty shelves in the shops. With RFID retailers are in a position to communicate directly with the consumer

• The Producer wants to communicate the right way
• The confident consumer
  
  http://www.innovationlab.dk/sw22694.asp