Transport by ship or rail is always better than by plane, but sometimes it is even better not to import food from far away at all.
Supermarket chain Lidl no longer wants to fly in fruit and vegetables in order to contribute to a cleaner climate. Albert Heijn, Plus and Jumbo also say they want to reduce their ecological footprint by transporting more fruit and vegetables by sea freight. The intention of the chain store is to be welcomed, because air transport is no less than fifty times more polluting for the environment than transport by ship.
Yet it is only a very small step in the right direction; after all, the share of fruit and vegetables transported by air is very small. The shelves in the supermarket are still full of fruit and vegetables that are not sustainable for other reasons. Think of the water-guzzling avocados from Chile, the pesticide-grown green beans from Kenya or the new apple varieties imported from New Zealand or South Africa.
Last month, Dutch farmers called on consumers to eat apples from the Netherlands, such as Jonagold and Elstar, instead of Pink Lady from New Zealand, because they do not lose their apples in energy-guzzling cold stores. A justified appeal to consumers, who may not always be aware of the effects of their unsustainable choices.
But in the end, it is the retailers and farmers who drive consumer demand with their supply. Why do supermarkets even offer food that has to come from far away if there is sufficient alternative available in their own country? And why should green beans also be offered so cheaply out of season that they have to be grown in Kenya to avoid high energy costs in the greenhouses here in Kenya, with all the consequences for the environment and human rights there? Because that’s what the consumer wants, that’s what the answer will sound like, all year round and as cheaply as possible.
To break the polluting spiral of supply and demand for products and foodstuffs that are too cheap or superfluous, supermarkets will have to take the lead. It is good to always consider whether environmental gains and cost savings can be made, but this must not lead to damage to the environment or people elsewhere in the world. As long as prices stay that low, that is almost automatically the case. For a sustainable future, we will therefore have to get used to the idea that fruit and vegetables are no longer available all year round.