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Which countries have the highest food miles?

Claus Anetts

When it comes to food, we tend to focus on its taste and nutritional value. However, have you ever stopped to think about the distance it travels before it ends up on your plate? The concept of food miles refers to the distance food travels from where it is produced to where it is consumed. In this sense, some countries are more dependent on imported food than others, which means they have higher food miles. In this post, we'll take a look at the countries with the highest food miles.

Firstly, it is essential to understand that food miles calculations vary depending on the methodology used. However, we can say with certainty that countries that import most of their food tend to have higher food miles. In this sense, according to research conducted by the FoodPrint project, Singapore is the country with the highest food miles, as it imports almost all of its food from other countries. The same study revealed that Hong Kong is in second place, followed by the United Arab Emirates.

In these countries, hardly any food is grown or raised locally due to a lack of farmland and water. Therefore, they are highly dependent on imported food, which often results in longer transportation distances. For instance, many of the fresh vegetables consumed in Hong Kong come from as far away as the US and Canada. Similarly, most of the food consumed in Singapore is imported from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Australia.

However, countries with large populations and limited arable land are not the only ones with high food miles. Wealthier nations tend to import more exotic foods from other countries, such as tropical fruits and spices. In this sense, the UK and the Netherlands are among the countries with the highest food miles in Europe, primarily due to the consumption of products such as coffee, tea, and cocoa, which have to travel long distances from tropical regions.

It's important to note that high food miles not only increase the environmental impact of food production but also affect its freshness and flavor. Transporting food over long distances usually requires packaging and preservatives to ensure that it arrives in good condition, which can affect its quality. Additionally, food that is transported over long distances leaves a significant carbon footprint due to its transportation.

In conclusion, countries with high populations and limited arable land, such as Singapore and Hong Kong, are the countries with the highest food miles globally. However, wealthier countries that import exotic foods, such as the UK and the Netherlands, also have high food miles. Regardless of the country, we can all do our part by eating locally produced foods when possible, reducing our food waste, and choosing foods with a lower carbon footprint.