Having seen the amount of pollution caused by our food consumption, you may be wondering what you can do to reduce pollution! While it may be difficult for us to address the root cause of food pollution that mostly occur during the production process, we can, as consumers, help to mitigate the pollution issue by consuming local produce.
Consuming local produce reduces our ‘food miles’ as goods are not transported miles from elsewhere (Athompson, 2017). By cutting our food miles, the environmental impact of our food consumption is reduced as local produce do not create large carbon footprints that are often generated by long-distance transport of food imports. Indeed, the consumption of local food can help to reduce our carbon footprint by up to 7% (The footprint blog, n.d.)! Cutting carbon footprint will also help with alleviating air pollution as greenhouse gas emissions are lessened.
AND… More than just reducing carbon footprint and alleviating pollution, consuming local produce have other benefits too!
- Without the need to transport across space, local produce tends to be fresher (Athompson, 2017) than imported products as they are often put on sale right after harvests – ensuring the freshness of the product purchased!
- Local products are often more nutritious (Athompson, 2017) than mass-produced products as local producers tend to do away with pesticides, keeping their products organic and chemical-free. Not only is this beneficial to the health of consumers, but it is also beneficial to the environment as harmful toxins like pesticides are kept away from the environment.
- Away from the individual level, supporting local produce also helps with supporting local farmers as our consumption will generate demand and keep local businesses alive (Athompson, 2017).
So, what are you waiting for? Let’s support local produce now!
To identify local produce in Singapore, consumers can look out for the ‘SG Fresh Produce (SGFP) Logo’ on food packaging and marketing collaterals:
Local produce such as locally farmed eggs, vegetables and fish can be found in (SFA, 2020):
- Local supermarkets;
- SG farmers’ market located at various community spaces; and
- Online via Lazada Redmart
Let’s support local!
References:
Athompson. (2017, September 7). The environmental benefits of buying locally. http://www.gogreen.org/blog/the-environmental-benefits-of-buying-locally#:~:text=Local%20food%20doesn’t%20create,facilities%2C%20packing%20facilities%20or%20refrigeration.&text=Local%20businesses%20are%20able%20to%20operate%20in%20their%20local%20communities.
The footprint blog. (n.d.) https://www.terrapass.com/eat-your-way-to-a-smaller-carbon-footprint
Singapore Food Agency. (2020, July 27). Our Singapore food story: Supporting local produce. https://www.sfa.gov.sg/food-farming/sgfoodstory/supporting-local-produce