The ‘100 Mile Diet Trial’
WHO Can Provide Farmgate To Supermarket Transparency?
September 9, 2008WA Grey Nomad Farmstay Invitation
September 10, 2008There is a 100 Mile Trial meeting in Melbourne at Nick Ray’s place – 33 Barkly Street, Footscray – this Thursday the 11th September.
The 100 Mile diet has taken off in many places around the world with people experimenting with sourcing their food from within a 100 mile (160km) radius from where they live.
Why is this important?
The greater the number of miles/kilometres our food travels means in all probability the greater the greenhouse emissions. eg A Californian orange travels over 12,800 kms to reach us – a lot of food miles – and typical of a lot of produce in a globalised food production system.
Nick is a driving force in the Ethical Consumer Group which meets once a month to discuss aspects of living out sustainable alternatives in a consumerist culture. He invites you to join a ‘Meet and Movie’ evening on the 100 Mile diet – dinner 6.30 – 7.30pm, 8pm input, movie and chat. Wrap up by 10.30pm.
BYO food and thoughts to share.
RSVP to Nick – nick@ethical.org.au or ph: 0417 114 492.
Nick says there has been lots of interest so it should be good night!
4 Comments
I agree wholeheartedly in the concept, but we cannot just translate the US and UK situation directly to Australia. Most of our population lives within a few kilometres of the coast, yet our farm produce is closer towards the interior as a lot of the fertile productive land has been taken up by city dwellers. I live about 200km from Melbourne where vast amounts of fabulous fruit and dairy products are grown, yet this would be excluded from the 100 Mile concept. There is no comparison between this produce and imported produce. We can grow anything somewhere in our country and although it may have to be transported some distance, it is nowhere near the disaster of flying in fresh food from other countries.
Good point Sue – thank you. Maybe we need to increase the distance, but I suppose then there would be the argument that more fuel is required and what if we really have reached peak oil? Very complex but I think you definitely have a point that we shouldn’t attempt to transpose an overseas concept simplistically to the Australian situation.
I have just worked out the 100 mile circle around Sydney. Lots of ocean but lots of the fishing ports would be excluded. The delightful Hawkesbury Harvest trail is included, but turf farming has reduced the amount of food produced there and depleted the soil. The Southern Highlands makes it as does the Hunter wine area. But Mudgee and Orange wines are excluded, as are Batlow apples and vast tracts of meat growing areas.
In fact only 10% of the land area of NSW is within range and hald of that 10% is withing essential National Parks. Additionally, we lose the offerings of the other states which means their farming areas would have a heavily reduced market available to them.
I love the concept but 100 miles may be great for dense populations as in much of Europe and Asia and possibly lots of the US. Even in those places 100 miles is probably too restrictive. (And it becomes even worse when the innumerate confuse miles with kilometers!) More important are the themes of good, clean and fair from the slow food movement.
Futher to my previous comment, I just had a look at the 100 mile circle for Frankfurt, Germany. No French food or wines, – or Dutch cheeses – or produce from Italy. Perhaps English, Danish, and Polish food would not make the German plate any way, but I think we must find a better way of honouring our neighbours’ good food while discourage the wasteful transport of poor offerings. I would like to be able to continue to enjoy South Australian wines – or even Margaret River or Hawkes Bay creations for example. But I do not think French mineral water has anything so special about it that I would pay for hte transport cost to Australia!