Air freight transport of fresh fruit and vegetables

Abstract

The increasing international trade in fresh fruit and vegetables has started to raise concerns about the distance that food travels and the emissions associated with its transport. The term food miles has been coined to capture the number of miles (kilometres) that food travels through a supply chain, from producer to consumer. The simple logic of food miles is the further that a food product has travelled, the more energy is consumed, the more greenhouse gases are produced, and the greater the impact on the environment. Food and air miles are simplistic concepts and not indicators of sustainability or environmental impact. A leading UK organic certifier, the Soil Association recently proposed changes in the certification criteria for the labelling of air freighted organic fruit and vegetables. The Soil Association was contemplating removing the eligibility of air freighted produce to be labelled organic. In response to this proposed change, the International Trade Centre commissioned Lincoln University’s AERU to undertake a review of the literature around food miles and in particular studies that consider air freight transport of fresh fruit and vegetables.