Current trends offer food for thought

25 October 2006
 
The Department for Transport is exploring the environmental cost of ‘food miles’ being notched up by the food and drinks sector, which is responding to growing public demand for quality produce.
The DfT is commissioning major surveys of manufacturers, retailers and logistics companies to gauge the efficiency of the transportation of food and drink in England. A recent report by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) estimates food transport now accounts for 25% of HGV kms in the UK, as supermarket giants overlook local producers in favour of food grown further afield.
‘Within the food industry, quality often means travel from distant areas where produce is in season, and frequently means additional packaging to ensure unblemished condition’ explained John Perry, managing director of SCALA Logistics Consulting, which is conducting the surveys.
These pressures, coupled with a growing and increasingly mobile population, meant it was becoming more difficult to achieve a safe, reliable and environmentally-friendly transport system, he added.
SCALA project manager for the DfT survey, Graham Stubs, said the environmental impact of commercial vehicles had been curtailed by minor improvements in vehicle efficiency, ‘but there is still every reason to find further opportunity for improvement and to press for its achievement’.
The DEFRA report estimates the social and environmental costs of food transport are around £9bn a year, with more than half the costs due to road congestion.

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