Don't get me wrong, I'm all for reducing my carbon footprint. What worries me, however, is that people are really tuned in to the carbon footprint issue, possibly to the detriment of their health. For instance, if one decides to shop according to the carbon footprint of the food, they may be purchasing food which has been sprayed with chemicals but took only a short ride to the store. This is no only bad for an individual and his/her family, but it is bad for the organic industry.
We need to look at both issues and decide where that balance is. Do you choose the tomatoes which were grown locally and perhaps aren't as beautiful as you'd hoped, or do you choose those shipped in from the next county/state/country and are "perfect"? If you're considering the carbon footprint, you'd choose the not-so-"perfect" tomatoes.
Now throw in the organic issue. It becomes an issue if the tomatoes shipped in from a longer distance are organic and the local ones are not.
Personally, I choose the organic produce. But I also do not have the benefit of knowing where most of my produce is coming from. Tesco(UK) is now using carbon-footprint labels. When (if) those ever hit the shelves of my store, I'll have some thinking to do.
Perhaps it's time to expand my organic gardening plot!
