Real Cost of Food

Food consumption has become as common of a social event as going to a ball game. We meet friends for dinner; we tell each other about the great new restaurant; we eat until we cannot eat anymore---maximizing the return on investment for the price of a meal; we reward each other through food (Johnny got an A on his report card---where shall we take him for dinner for doing such a good job?).

While food consumption is obviously important to our health and livability, our understanding to as where the food comes from is becoming a lost art. Just a generation ago, it was not uncommon to have a family in Indiana primarily live of crops grown from the farm or garden. Canning was a common tradition that allowed for vegetable consumption throughout the winter. Now, we have access to just about any vegetable or fruit that we want, regardless of the time of year. Remember, its always a growing season somewhere in the world! When its winter here---its summer there!

New statistics are proving that the food we consume in the United States travels between 1,500 and 2,500 miles (2,500 and 4,000kilometers) from farm to table. How is the vegetable that travels 1,500 miles transported to your table? Nearly exclusively by oil. From harvesting to shipping to the market; from selecting the vegetable at the grocery store to taking it back to the house, oil is the main source of transportation in the US consumer market.