Footprint

Everything that has to do with local food has the goal of shrinking what is known as the "food system". Food systems take food from producers all the way to consumers on the other end. In other words, the food system is the complete infrastructure that makes food and brings it to the table. Much of the available literature dubs this system the "foodshed", in comparison to a watershed, where water is brought from precipitation all the way to end consumers. In the simplest food system analysis, food flows from agricultural production to processing, packaging, and retail. Transportation bridges each of these steps (Peters 2008).

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There is a certain amount of energy that is used up in each of these steps, and a transportation cost to bridge each step. So much so, that a common catchphrase to describe the global food system is "eating oil". Global food systems require the availability of cheap fossil fuels to give consumers the prices we see at the market. However, fossil fuels are neither infinite, nor will they remain cheap indefinitely. To see how intimately tied food energy is to energy usage, the average national energy usage from each of these steps can be considered to show a broad image of how each contributes to the total footprint of the foodshed (Figure from data in Heller, 2000; data collected in total BTU of each sector of the food system, total of 6.33x10^15 BTU).

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Together, transportation, processing, and packaging take up 59% of the United States food system energy usage. In fact, the only reason that this system is economical is the relatively low price of fossil fuels. When fossil fuels have a low price, the cost of producing food cheaply and transporting it long distances is less than producing food locally. With the volatility of the fossil fuel market, however, these food prices in the global market have an uncertain future.

Energy costs are minimized when choosing unprocessed raw local foods, alternatively, leaving agricultural energy costs as the main player in energy usage, and some marginal retail and transport energy usage. Most local farms which sell food locally will do so with a minimal investment in processing, packaging, and transport. This is because what lowers cost for them ultimately lowers cost for their consumers, and minimizing energy usage in local foodsheds, importantly, makes economic sense.

Cutting down on transportation costs will reduce the carbon impact of meat consumption in particular. While meats are relatively energy intensive products to produce in comparison to plant products, switching to locally sourced meats will have a significant on transport-related carbon footprint. Fruits, vegetables, and grains will also see significant improvements in transportation impact (Figure adapted from Weber, 2008).

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This graph shows the average American household's carbon footprint in relation to each of the USDA recommended food groups. This can be interpreted as the food groups for which each home's carbon footprint will be reduced by investing more in the local food system. Consuming local meats, fruits, and vegetables has the greatest impact on reducing carbon footprints.

These fossil fuel usage statistics do not yet take into account food packaging. Food packaging is important to the global food system, as packaging foods allows them to stay fresh longer as they travel long distances to the market. Branding of foods and the convenience of packaged produce also contribute to appeal to consumers choosing imported foods rather than local and organic foods. Of course, the vast majority of food packaging is plastic, another fossil fuel product (Marsh 2007). Plastic containers are cheap to produce and lightweight, but are quickly discarded after use. The local food model, for the most part, shows that such containers are usually not necessary for food retail, and far greater proportions of local market produce are unpackaged, raw foods.

Overall, one of the most compelling cases for the reduction of waste, emissions, and fossil fuel usage in most Americans' daily lives is to make more sustainable food choices. Here in Washington, with a variety of local food options available to consumers, the choice to buy local foods makes sense, and is a strong step towards a more sustainable local food system.