by
Sustainability and Circular Economy Workshop
Pollenzo University of Gastronomic Sciences
One of the benefits of seasonal food consumption is clearly the reduction of greenhouse gases because, for example, it does not require the energy input for heating or artificial lighting needed to produce crops outside the natural growing season (Macdiarmid, 2014). However, it should be considered that seasonality and its environmental consequences depend on the product we take into analysis and are not equally effective for emissions mitigation (when compared at the level of the amount of CO2 emissions generated) when compared with the potential reduction of food waste and cutting meat consumption (Coley, Howard & Winter, 2009).
Bibliography
Macdiarmid, J. (2014). Seasonality and dietary requirements: Will eating seasonal food contribute to health and environmental sustainability? Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 73(3), 368-375. DOI:10.1017/S0029665113003753
Coley, D., Howard, M., & Winter, M. (2009). Local food, food miles and carbon emissions: A comparison of farm shop and mass distribution approaches. Food Policy, 34(2), 150-155. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2008.11.001.
