Farm-to-Fork: A Proposed Revision of the Classical Food Miles Concept

The “Food Miles” concept was introduced in the UK nearly two decades ago in order to highlight the emissions of CO2 that arise during the transportation of food grown in distant locations. The concept has subsequently energized urban citizens to re-consider the on-purpose purchase of locally grown foods. The important contribution of CO2 emitted in heated greenhouse operations has heretofore been routinely omitted from the “Food Miles” accounting protocol. In the analysis of tomato supply to Vancouver, the CO2 emission was estimated to be about 7 times higher for tomatoes grown in local greenhouses than in local open fields.