Stopping theft in fruits and vegetables is a very small step in the right direction

Shipping or rail is always better than flying, but sometimes it’s even better not to import food from afar at all.

The Lidl supermarket chain no longer wants to steal fruit and vegetables in order to contribute to a cleaner climate. Albert Heijn, Plus and Jumbo also say they want to reduce their ecological footprint by transporting more fruit and vegetables by sea freight. The intention of the chain of stores is to be welcomed, because air transport is no less than fifty times more polluting for the environment than transport by boat.

Still, this is only a very small step in the right direction; after all, the share of fruits and vegetables transported by air is very low. Supermarket shelves are still full of fruits and vegetables that are unsustainable for other reasons. Think water-guzzling Chilean avocados, green beans grown with pesticides from Kenya or new varieties of apples imported from New Zealand or South Africa.

Last month, Dutch farmers called on consumers to eat apples from the Netherlands, such as Jonagold and Elstar, instead of New Zealand’s Pink Lady, because they don’t waste their apples in energy-guzzling cold rooms. A justified appeal to consumers, who are not always aware of the effects of their unsustainable choices.

But in the end, it is retailers and farmers who drive consumer demand with their supply. Why do supermarkets even carry foods that have to come from far away if there are enough alternatives available in their own country? And why should green beans also be offered so cheap out of season that they have to be grown in Kenya to avoid high energy costs in greenhouses here in Kenya, with all the consequences for the environment and human rights? man over there? Because that’s what the consumer wants, that’s what the answer will look like, all year round and as cheaply as possible.

To break the polluting spiral of supply and demand for too cheap or superfluous products and foodstuffs, supermarkets will have to take the lead. It’s good to always ask whether environmental gains and cost savings can be made, but it shouldn’t result in harm to the environment or people elsewhere in the world. As long as prices remain this low, this is almost automatically the case. For a sustainable future, it will therefore be necessary to get used to the idea that fruit and vegetables are no longer available all year round.