There’s a lot of discussion about eating local food to support local farmers and to reduce our carbon footprint by cutting down on the transport of food. After preparing a family meal this past week, and learning that the salmon that I was cooking came from Chile, I decided to take a look at where the main ingredients of my traditional family meal came from.
Thanksgiving is a once-yearly pilgrimage to the heartland of Ohio for my family. I have three siblings, with two on the East Coast, one in the Midwest and myself in the West. The total distance of our 15 travelers to the family homestead is 2,275 miles (as the crow flies), with a collective total of 34,125 miles one way or 68,250 round trip. Will the total travel distance of our food eclipse the distance we traveled?
Tracking the origins from “farm to plate” certainly isn’t an easy or precise undertaking. Internet searching provides a decent amount of data, but what’s needed is a geographic information system to adequately trace the geographic origin of our food. I was pleased to see that a GeoTraceAgri prototype system was developed to define the tools and methods of such a system, but to date only the prototype exists. I used the Internet and the National Agricultural Statistics Service to help determine distances and tally totals for my meal.
- Turkey – our bird came from a local farm no more than 10 miles away, but that’s a 20-mile round trip to go pick it up.
- Stuffing – Our Pepperidge Farms stuffing was likely produced at a plant in Downers Grove, IL, which is a distance of 295 miles. There may be a plant closer, but it’s hard to track these things precisely without querying the manufacturer directly. I’ll tack on another 50 miles to factor in the distribution network for a 345-mile total.
- Mashed Potatoes – potatoes are an important vegetable crop in Ohio, so they were likely produced within the state. I’ll estimate a distance of 70 miles from field to plate, given the circuitous distribution network.
- Sweet Potatoes – North Carolina produces 40% of the U.S. sweet potatoes, and Ohio isn’t a big producer. Closer to home is Benton, Kentucky, which has an annual “Tater Days” festival to celebrate this crop. That’s 345 miles away or 400 miles for my estimate.
- Cranberries – Wisconsin tops all states in cranberry production, followed by Massachusetts. The state cranberry growers association is in Wisconsin Rapids, a distance of 532 miles or an even 600 for added distribution distance.
- Green Beans – These are definitely a staple product of Ohio farms, so I’ll guesstimate 70 miles.
- Pies
- Pumpkin – Ohio is the number one pumpkin producer in the nation, so we’ll go with 70 miles.
- Mincemeat – This is my favorite once-yearly pie. There are too many ingredients in this dish to fairly estimate (currants, dates, raisins, apple, spices, meat?). I’m going to guess 500 miles.
- Pecan – Georgia is the top producer, followed by Texas and then New Mexico. It’s 500 miles to Atlanta, so 570 for a total with distribution.
- GRAND TOTAL – 2,645 miles, with certainly some main ingredients missing. Our food traveled more distance than we each did individually. If I tried to account for every individual spice, then we might approach at least one family’s total travel distance. If we served some salmon from Chile at roughly 5,000 miles away, then we’d see that total climb right up there.
This exercise was an interesting geography lesson. The distance from farm to plate would likely be much greater where I live in Denver. I’m guessing that the central farm-belt location of my parent’s home, and their inclination to buy local, makes these distance totals smaller than average.
I’m a fan of the Slow Food movement, particularly as expressed by my favorite restaurant The Kitchen in Boulder. The idea of eating food produced locally really appeals to me, and I really like the message in Jane Goodall’s book, “A Harvest for Hope.” Eating organic and local is not only better for us, but much better for the environment.
I confess to being turned off by more aggressive “Eating Green” advocacy such as that of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Check out their Eating Green Calculator, but only if you’ve already eaten. Their calculation of the environmental impact of the food we eat includes a manure tally along with pesticides and fertilizer.
We could all certainly eat greener – regardless of menu choice – by truly understanding where our food comes from. Imagine the distribution cost savings and the boon to local and smaller farms if we could all take into account the travels of our food. Not to mention being able to accurately trace those origins when food-borne illnesses strike.
