South America, the EU and south E-east Asia are among the places from which the UK sources its food Photograph: Andre Penner/AP

We know local food is better for many reasons. We tend not to think about the negative impacts on those places where food is sourced from as a reason to source more locally. Thanks to the Guardian for this article:

More than half of the UK’s food and feed now comes from overseas, which is burdening poorer countries with the related environmental impact, a new study says.

More than two-thirds of the land needed to produce the UK’s food and feed is based abroad, researchers said, meaning 64% of the related greenhouse gases are emitted on foreign soil.

Since 1986, the size of this land has grown by 23% to match increasing demand, with associated CO2 emissions rising by 15%, the research published in the Journal  of the Royal Society Interface states.

South America, the EU and south-east Asia are among the places from which the UK sources its food.

It is claimed the damage done by the country’s agricultural requirements is being “outsourced” to these areas.

The study, conducted by researchers from institutions including the University of Aberdeen, said: “Producing sufficient, healthy food for a growing world population amid a changing climate is a major challenge for the 21st century.

“However, agricultural trade has implications for national food security and could displace environmental impacts from developed to developing countries.

“The UK is currently importing over 50% of its food and feed, whereas 70% and 64% of the associated cropland and greenhouse gas impacts, respectively, are located abroad…

Read the whole article here.