Is Locally Grown Food Really Greener?

A large part of the modern “green” or environmentalist movement has focused on the importance of eating locally grown, organic food. Proponents say that that fresh, preservative-free food is not only tastier and more nutritious – it is also better for the environment. However, recent studies have begun to cast doubts on such claims.

The Carbon Footprint of Food

The debate about locally grown food and the environment tends to focus on the “carbon footprints” left by different methods of agriculture. An industry’s carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, ozone, water vapor, etc) that it releases into the environment per year. In the agriculture industry, greenhouse gases can be released by farm machinery, transportation, farming methods, and so on.

Fans of locally grown food argue that this method has a smaller carbon footprint because the food is produced in smaller amounts and does not need to be shipped across the country. However, some experts have begun to question the usefulness of limiting the distance food must travel before it is consumed. Transportation actually accounts for a small percentage of the total amount of greenhouse gases released by an agricultural business – around 11% according to some studies.

Proponents of larger agricultural companies argue that the increased pollution caused by long-distance shipping is offset by these businesses’ efficiency. They have developed reliable ways to produce and ship large amounts of food at a time, compared with local farms that often make frequent, small shipments instead. In the long run, according to some researchers, bulk shipping may be the “greener” option.

At this time, the debate is far from settled. Experts have not even settled on a reliable way to measure pollution levels or the overall healthiness of certain foods. One thing has become clear, however: driving a truck and caring about the environment are not mutually exclusive.

Contact a Freight Factoring Service

With so many financial, legal, and even political issues to consider, running a trucking company is difficult enough without the stress of unpaid debts. To learn about collecting the payments you need today, contact a truck factoring agent from TBS Factoring Services, LLC at 1-800-207-7661.