Green Beans!

[Kymba]

I tend to buy fair trade things where possible as well as local goods

[badgerwatcher]

When the world and I were young, and women still used mangles and scrubbed their front doorsteps every morning, everything was seasonal, and every vegetable was a treat as it came into season, the first runner beans, the first marrow, 'blink and you've missed them' strawberries, fresh peas.
Winter was root vegetables, carefully wrapped and stored bramley apples, sprouts and cabbages, mushrooms.
You looked forward to each thing and they tasted much better for it!
Even meat and fish had seasons then.

[Paul mabbott]

Yes, there are green veg growing in UK: sprouts, kale, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower; salads and other things are grown under protection. There are, or should be British fruit available from store.
There is also a difference between imports from the Mediterranean and from distant Africa. We have imported oranges, lemons, tomatoes from Spain, Italy &c for centuries. There are two big differences between this and importing from Africa and the far East. We are importing crops which have always been grown in the Mediterranean and therefore not upsetting the ecological and economical balance of that area (in contrast to the intensive cultivation of non-indigenous plants in Africa) and fruit and veg are transported from the Med by train or boat with minimal pollution (in contrast to flying them from Africa).
Someone else, referring to African crops referred to 'them' exporting - the people of Kenya &c get very little out of the deal, they actually lose land on which they could be growing crops for themselves. These crops are grown and exported by multinational corporations - the profits end up in London or New York.
So, good for those people who don't buy food from outside Europe!

Originally Posted by ron1863

It's only natural that "fresh" fruit and veg comes from abroad. Have you seen fruit and veg growing at this time of the year in this country.
Retailers will buy the cheapest quality product, so Africa is a safe bet because of the lower costs. If you check the packages of all fruit and veg, most of it will be from Mediterranean countries or Africa.

[ron1863]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

Yes, there are green veg growing in UK: sprouts, kale, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower; salads and other things are grown under protection. There are, or should be British fruit available from store.
There is also a difference between imports from the Mediterranean and from distant Africa. We have imported oranges, lemons, tomatoes from Spain, Italy &c for centuries. There are two big differences between this and importing from Africa and the far East. We are importing crops which have always been grown in the Mediterranean and therefore not upsetting the ecological and economical balance of that area (in contrast to the intensive cultivation of non-indigenous plants in Africa) and fruit and veg are transported from the Med by train or boat with minimal pollution (in contrast to flying them from Africa).
Someone else, referring to African crops referred to 'them' exporting - the people of Kenya &c get very little out of the deal, they actually lose land on which they could be growing crops for themselves. These crops are grown and exported by multinational corporations - the profits end up in London or New York.
So, good for those people who don't buy food from outside Europe!

Hi Paul,

I know that Britain has been importing from Europe for years, but I have also seen for myself the miles and miles of plastic tunnels in the Almeria district of Spain, where tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers etc. are forced to produce crops for the U.K. and other countries. I would imagine that it is similar in other mediterranean countries. The people who are employed there are mostly African workers who are paid the minimum wage. These people move around taking employment according to the crop cycle. It is similar in rural Spain where African workers are employed during the olive picking season. I have witnessed this first hand as I recently bought an old house in the Jaen region of Spain where African people appear from December through to March soley for the olive harvest.
I agree wholeheartedly with you about the exploitation of African workers but not all Africans have land in which they can grow their own crops that is why they seek work in other countries.
Would you prefer to grow your own food and not go near a supermarket, taking into account the hard work involved and having to go to work. Where would you have the time?

I liked the quote from an author who replied to a naturist's comment that the tribes of Borneo and other countries should be left alone and not tainted by modern civilisation. She said that if the people from a wilderness tribe were transported to a modern city, fitted out with modern clothes and shoes, taken out shopping and for a meal and watched television then they would need to employ a team of horses to drag them back to the wilderness.

My point is that civilisation moves on, and so we should, but we should do so by protecting what we have, especially our wild areas, flora and fauna. I don't like pre-packed foodstuffs, tastless forced vegetables etc. but not everyone is in a position to grow their own and there are thousands of people who cannot afford to buy organic food. Most housewives with large families welcome supermarkets and could not do without them.

[ron1863]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

Think we should take a leaf out of the North American indian's way of life and eat seasonally. We expect everything, all year round now which doesn't help.

Hello Wild Woman (Is the wild part "wilderness wild" or "mad wild")

Great idea Wild Woman but would you and your children like to do without apples, oranges, peppers, tea and coffee etc. not to mention no bread in winter. Growing your own food is a good idea but not very practical. Most people could not even begin to grow enough to sustain their own families,as they have jobs. Growing food to sustain yourself is a full time job and hard work.
It would be ideal if we only bought food from countries who do not exploit others but where would that be? Even Britain exploit foreign workers. Where I live there has been a large influx of Polish people who work for minimum wages in a bottling factory. Having spoken to some of these people I have learned that they do not feel exploited. They come over here to work for a year or two and then return to Poland where the money they have saved enables them to buy a house, car etc. or start their own business. They are happy with the situation they are in. It will be the same with Bulgarians, Turks etc. We feel that we are exploiting them for cheap labour, they feel that they are earning a far better living that they were at home and will be improving their life and their families when they return home.

[Paul mabbott]

Hello, Ron and others - I see that this topic is fragmenting, as these things do!
The initial comment related to airmiles .... there was a piece in the paper the other day that Marks & Spencer are going to start putting little airplanes on their packaging so that those not wanting to buy air-freighted material would have the choice. Personally I'd rather have the choice of going to a shop where nothing travels by air.
As we knew, Kenya is the biggest source of air-freght but, surprisingly (to me at least) that beans were the biggest crop travelling by air.
So you should be able to avoid air-freighted things - especially by buying European because next to no crops are sent by air within EU. Also avoid exotic fruit such as mango unless you know it come from the Med. Although one little quirk: apparently mangos from Brazil usually come by ship but those from Pakistan by air ....

[minime]

I agree with Gill, the best answer is get in touch with a local veg box scheme. It brings you only what is in season, the produce is fairly traded and doesn't come from the other side of the world. My one also delivers bread from a local old style baker and refills and returns Ecover bottles to my door. T'other good thing is you don't have to think about what to buy each week Peace of mind for doing very little

[Paul mabbott]

We do have an organic box (The Organic Pantry - Boxes ), we also visit the local farmers' market and we grow a fair amount of our own! But sometimes you have to go to the supermarket ... also, of course, *most* people use supermarkets (many have no choice) so it's important to keep an eye on what they're up to.
Some supermarkets aren't so bad - Waitrose, for instance does a lot of stuff which is not only organic but, where appropriate, fair-traded or locally produced so I like to use them from time to time for encouragement!

Originally Posted by minime

I agree with Gill, the best answer is get in touch with a local veg box scheme. It brings you only what is in season, the produce is fairly traded and doesn't come from the other side of the world. My one also delivers bread from a local old style baker and refills and returns Ecover bottles to my door. T'other good thing is you don't have to think about what to buy each week Peace of mind for doing very little