CROP MANAGEMENT NEWS

16 December 2011 • Mark Holmes

Does consuming seasonal foods benefit the environment?

Mark Holmes & Jeremy Wiltshire from the ADAS Sustainable Leadership team, along with collaborators from the University of Plymouth and EuGeos, have contributed a paper to the December issue of the Nutrition Bulletin.

The special issue, entitled ‘Achieving a Healthy Sustainable Diet: an Integrated Approach’ contains a series of articles presenting evidence and arguments from all sides of the sustainability debate, in relation to food production and supply, as well as consumption patterns. The foreword is provided by Professor Sir John Beddington, the Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK Government.

The article - Does consuming seasonal foods benefit the environment? Insights from recent research - summarises Defra-funded research led by ADAS, which studied consumers’ understanding of and attitudes to seasonal foods, and the environmental implications of applying certain ‘seasonal’ definitions to guide food sourcing. The profile of seasonal foods has been raised in recent years, with information about ‘in-season’ produce being made available to consumers through a variety of channels, including television programmes, magazine articles and websites. This article draws on findings of recent research to explore the notion of ‘seasonal food’ and probe the link between ‘eating seasonally’ and a reduction of environmental impacts in the food chain.

Click Here to access the Journal (with subscriptions only).

For more information contact the author Mark Holmes on 01427 728792 or email mark.holmes@adas.co.uk.

OTHER CROPS ARTICLES

Adjust main season nitrogen use this spring?
18 April 2012

Adjust main season nitrogen use this spring?

ADAS scientists have brought together new and topical information to help farmers make correct nitrogen decisions this spring/summer. The full text of the advice can be downloaded below this article....

Minimising pollution risk in strawberry production
05 April 2012

Minimising pollution risk in strawberry production

ADAS is working in partnership with the EA to identify best practice in minimising pollution risk from table top strawberry production systems.

Agriculture: the heart of the solution
29 March 2012

Agriculture: the heart of the solution

James Clarke talks about sustainable agriculture and how it is core to ADAS.

OTHER RELATED ARTICLES

Producing food and protecting the environment
24 February 2010

Producing food and protecting the environment

Food production has a complex and inextricable relationship with the natural environment. Some inputs are extracted from natural sources and require little or no processing, like water; meanwhile others are...

Tasting the Future
05 April 2011

Tasting the Future

Mark Holmes, Head of Sustainability, looks at the importance of sustainability within food supply chains.