Sustainable Food System –Targeting Production Methods, Distribution or Food Basket Content? - Organic Food and Agriculture: New Trends and Developments in the Social Sciences - page 212

effects. All examined environmental effects were lower on the studied Ecological Recycling
Agriculture farms compared to conventional production. Combining this with changes in
our food consumption can further reduce the environmental impact of the food system. If all
Swedish food production is altered to ERA this would reduce the surplus of nitrogen with
18-37%. In addition to this, if all Swedes were to change their food profiles towards more
organic vegetables and less meat the nitrogen surplus could decrease further. Results from
our household survey indicate reductions in the range of 55-64% but the number of
observations was limited why this should be seen as a special case.
Changing production methods to ERA would reduce emission of CO 2 -equivalents and the
consumption of primary energy. Combining ERA with an alternative food basket more is
won. A change to ERA would decrease the environmental impacts, even when the food
consumption profile remains as the Swedish average of today. The agricultural area needed
would, however, increase substantially making a large scale conversion less realistic. If
coupled with a changed diet the area needed for food production would decrease with 30%.
The results support other findings that changes in food profiles towards a more vegetarian
diet and more organic foods decrease the environmental impacts. This change would have a
negative effect in terms of increased food expenditures. The families in the household
survey consumed substantially more local and organic products, less meat and more
vegetables and they spent 24% more money on food compared to average Swedish
consumers. Compared to conventional food production and consumption the
environmental costs of eco-local food are however to a larger degree internalized.
In the studied community a local food system characterized by a high share of supply and
demand of organic food has evolved. This has been facilitated by horizontal and vertical
collaboration - horizontal through a high demand from private consumers coupled with
large supply from local producers and vertical in the form of public procurement. However,
because of the higher price charged for local and organic food a large scale transformation of
Swedish agriculture would probably rely more on governmental intervention since few
regions experience as high private and public demand for eco-local food.
The environmental benefits of organic agriculture cannot be fully realized unless food
profiles change. For a governmental intervention in the form of e.g. public procurement to
have optimal effect it is as important to focus on food content as on production methods.
Localized processing is however of less importance in terms of environmental effects.
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