Imported Food In Canada

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Imported food is having a bad impact on our health and our community. When you choose to buy local, you’re getting delicious food that is good for you, your family, local farmers and the local economy. Unfortunately, many people around the world are choosing to buy imported food, mainly because it’s cheaper and more convenient to buy. Sadly imported food is usually not as healthy as locally grown food, and is almost always lacking in nutrients. If we buy more locally grown food, people will be eating healthier food, conserving the environment, and helping the community.
Since the 1990’s there has been a steady increase of imported foods in the Canadian’s diet. Currently 30 percent of our diet is imported, including things such as fruits, nuts, …show more content…

For example, the average apple imported from other countries travels on average, 1300 to 1500 miles, over a span of 4-7 days(1). For the apple to be ripe by the time it arrives in grocery stores, farmers harvest them while they are still green, thus losing most of its nutritional value. That’s not even the worst of it, an apple may travel 4 to 7 days, but it can stay in a cold storage for up to a year! They are picked unripe, waxed (to make them appear shiny) then stored for 9 to 12 months. But before these apples are stored, they are sprayed with a chemical called 1-methylcylopropene (also known as 1-MCP). 1-MCP is a synthetic plant growth regulator which is …show more content…

The amount of fuel a certain food uses to be transported is called a “fuel mile” (3). A fuel mile will vary on where the product is being shipped to, as well as how it is being shipped. Food can be transported in three different ways; road transport, air transport, as well as rail and sea transport. About 90 percent of the world's food transport carbon emissions, are created by air and road transport (4). If you buy your food locally, it immensely reduces the amount of fuel it takes to transport this food, therefore, helping the

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