From John Thorn
I know we are eating more and more, but I find it hard to believe that 1.58 billion tonnes of food are transported by road annually in the UK (5 March, p 17).
That is 26.3 tonnes per person, or 72 kilos of food per day per person. Unlikely, I think – or am I not getting my share?
Jules Pretty responds: The figures quoted actually concern “agri-food” – which includes food, animal feed, drink and fertiliser. Some of the transported food is substantially reduced in mass and volume before it reaches our plates. Three-quarters of cereal produced in the UK is fed to animals, which of course only produce a small proportion of the mass as meat. Some items of food are also lifted many times. For example, an animal is moved long-distance to an abattoir, then as meat to manufacturing plants, then as a meal to the retail outlet. But we only eat the output once. A TV meal of 30 ingredients will need each one to be moved to one point to create the meal.
Cardiff, UK
