Swallowing Eco-Hype

Being a ‘locavore’ is supposed to be healthier for you and better for the planet, right? Maybe not.

Among foodies, there are certain green truths that are self-evident: fruits and vegetables grown within 100 miles of your home means you’re eating fresher, better-tasting foods that help to enhance the social and physical health of your entire community. And buying locally is good for the environment

James E. McWilliams, author of a new book, Just Food: Where Locavores Get It Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly(Little, Brown), argues that being a locavore is not going to save the planet, much as its proponents seem to believe. In fact, he says, it may even be worse than eating food from miles and miles away: after all, a few crates of apples being trucked in from 50 miles away can expend more energy than a large one trucking in tons of apples from hundreds or thousands of miles away. The diktat to “eat locally” is wrongheaded if you’re not considering the bigger environmental picture, he says. It’s important to consider a food’s life-cycle assessment, or the energy that gets put into its production and distribution