Gordon declares war on 'meaningless' food miles

Top Kiwi chef Peter Gordon wants the term "food miles" banned as he uses his passion for New Zealand food to try to stop hysteria spreading over the issue.

In recent months the London-based chef has appeared on British TV, met industry officials and penned an article in The Independent to try to dispel the "food miles myth".

Mr Gordon told The Dominion Post from London, where he is executive chef and co-owner of The Providores, that New Zealand, and its billion-dollar-a-year food exports to Britain, have become easy targets as debate about environmental sustainability dominates Europe.

"We'd be unwise to not do what we can before it's too late," he said.

The term food miles - how far food has travelled before you buy it - needed to be dropped. "It means absolutely nothing and the consumer here is so concerned that if something comes from New Zealand it's obviously worse for you than if it's [produced] closer."

British supermarket chains have threatened to introduce food mile labelling in response to growing demand from customers for "eco-friendly" products.

Mr Gordon said the much-touted claim that eating local food reduced fossil fuel consumption was often untrue.

"The term food miles just needs to be dropped - that's the best thing we could do."

A Lincoln University study that looked at the total energy used in production and transport found that New Zealand lamb sold in Britain was four times as energy efficient as its local product.

New Zealand dairy was twice as efficient, apples were 40 per cent more efficient and onions 30 per cent more efficient.

More than 99 per cent of New Zealand's food and beverage imports arrive in Britain by sea.

"A lot of people think the carbon footprint is entirely in the transport, but it's in the production, the [air-conditioned] buildings and the people in the offices."

He cited the amount of energy used to grow British tomatoes in hothouses compared with growing them in the sun in Spain.

The benign growing process in Spain easily offset the carbon cost of transporting them by road, he said.

Mr Gordon said New Zealand was up against it as confused consumers clung to simplistic concepts like food miles.

"The average Joe Blow is in a bit of a state - thinking `I must change all my lightbulbs to energy efficient and I must not buy New Zealand food'."

New Zealand producers must make environmental sustainability a priority, Mr Gordon said.

"It's unfair ... There are good people doing good things in New Zealand and to have their future at threat because of two words is a real shame."

- © Fairfax NZ News