Of Organic Apples and Oranges

The fear of animal pathologies, higher sophistication in food purchases, the return to forms of local identity are all driving the demand for "sustainable" forms of consumption. For instance, "Zero-kilometer markets", where local produce is exclusively sold are being introduced in the Veneto Region, under the sponsorship of Coldiretti, Italy's biggest farmers' organization. This has favored the emergence of a zero-kilometer supply chains and networks of producers, and many are pondering the introduction of a "sustainability label" in this regard. The Regional Law 7/2008 favors the purchase of local foods to feed nurseries, schools, hospitals, and the like. However, one should not consider "local" a synonym for "sustainable." Over the last 50 years traditional methods of cultivation and rearing have been outmoded by the strong mechanization of agriculture, reliance on artificial fertilizers and chemical pesticides, selection of varieties for aesthetic appeal and transportability. These developments have been pulled by the need of higher productivity to supply supermarkets and urban and suburban consumers. The growth in large-scale retailing has in turn favored a globalization and concentration of agricultural suppliers, while supermarket chains have seen their bargaining power increase vis-à-vis agricultural producers.
There is however no guarantee that a local product is by definition sustainable, because there only few producers that don't rely on tractors and hydrocarbon-based fertilizers. Also "organic" food (biologico, in Italian) is not necessarily sustainable, if distribution chains are long and logistics is heavy in fossil fuels. The rise of farmer's markets and home delivery of local foods will continue to blur the distinction between territoriality and sustainability, as long as an objective certification of the sustainability of the processes and technologies of cultivation, grazing, manufacturing and transportation is not available. The emphasis should those go on designing controls for zero-kilometer produce that have the same standards of safety and quality that the longer supply chains of agribusiness must satisfy, albeit at the cost of a lesser freshness and tastiness of their products. However, the consumer must also play her/his part in ensuring that production, transportation and distribution are sustainable, by not demanding cherries in January and oranges in June, for a start.