Food Miles

WTAF is a food mile, and why is it relevant to you? You’ve probably heard us (Jared..) harp on about food miles before, so this blog is here to help you understand Food Miles, and why they’re such an important topic to Herb Urban. 

Essentially, if your ingredients are a long way away, it’s likely that they have a heavy carbon footprint. Food miles represent the distance a food travels from its source, for example the farmer who grew or produced it, to you, the consumer who finally eats the food.

The Environment Protection Authority (EPA), says that the food we eat makes up 28 percent(!!!) of our ecological footprint. According to CERES Food Miles in Australia report - A typical Melbourne shopping basket has travelled a staggering 70,000 kilometres – equivalent to almost two trips around the world. By purchasing an orange grown in Mildura rather than California you reduce food miles from 12,879 km to 567 km. 

There is confusion around food miles - in some cases it is ‘better’ to consume from further away - perhaps the natural climate of that particular vegetable is too hard to emulate in Australia, and the ecological footprint for travel is smaller than recreating that environment. This is where things tend to get confusing. 

One thing we know for sure is that growing your own simply is the best way to reduce your food miles and carbon footprint. Where you can’t grow your own, try to eat seasonally and shop at your local Farmer’s Markets.   

We’re throwing around “Growing Your Own” as if it’s a simple task. For anyone who has tried building a vegetable garden from the ground up, you’ll know it’s not as easy as that. Time, money and resources tend to be wasted when you throw unpredictable weather, seasonally planting and a steep learning curve.

This is where we come in! Herb Urban has done all the hard work for you, our gardens are manufactured with just the right amount of technology to make gardening a breeze. Our hands-off approach means that you can enjoy seasonal produce year round at a fraction of the effort. 

By growing your own, you’re not only doing what’s best for you, you’re also helping reduce your carbon footprint. One lettuce at a time. 

If you think that you would benefit from a bit of Herb Urban love, get in contact with us (info@herburban.com.au)