When we sit down to eat, it’s often surprising how little we know about what is on our plate.  Each ingredient has typically travelled over 1000 kms, and when we add up the contents of a typical shopping basket, the food miles are equivalent to travelling nearly twice around the Earth. For the uninitiated, ‘food miles’ is a term now commonly used to measure the transport distance travelled by food products between production and consumption. The movement has grown and has even spawned the term locavore. But why do we care? We care because the energy costs involved in food production and the transport of goods from paddock to plate are having a negative impact on our environment, contributing to climate change and peak oil issues.

Locally raised and produced food has been called “the new organic” – better tasting, better for the environment, better for local economies and better for your health. To coincide with the beginning of the new season, South Melbourne Market will introduce its ‘Eat Local’ campaign. Stallholders at the Market will display ‘Eat Local’ stickers on individual food products that have been locally made or produced. But, we also need to remember that it is not just about food items. The products we purchase on a daily basis - many have travelled from Asia or right around the globe to get here. The resulting greenhouse emissions lead to a huge energy footprint on the Earth. Non-food stallholders are also joining in by displaying ‘Buy Local’ stickers on their products.  Claude Baxter, Market Manager, says “the whole campaign aims to educate, inform and empower consumers to make more sustainable choices”.