Karin Bornett
Slogans in the most melodious dialect, pictures of contented cows munching lush grass on idyllic alpine meadows – when it comes to food, advertising professionals like to tell us the story of rural rural life, staged romantically. Grocery retailers and manufacturers are all too happy to focus on the regional origin of their products. The consumers grab it.
"Numerous studies show a great increase in interest in regional foods and speak of a regional trend that is said to have caught up with the organic trend in the meantime," writes Melissa Sarah Ragger in 2018 in her master's thesis on the motives for buying regional foods. Because's Biomarkt cites an unspecified survey from 2019, which is said to have shown "that for the consumers surveyed Biography and sustainability play less of a role than the Austrian origin and regionality of the food.”
Regional origin overrated
No wonder: Food from the region enjoys the image of high quality and fair production conditions for people and animals. In addition, they do not have to be transported halfway across the globe. Regional products are also marketed and perceived accordingly. But: is food from the region really that good? In 2007, Agrarmarkt Austria (AMA) calculated the CO2 pollution of individual foods. Grapes from Chile were the biggest climate sinners with 7,5 kg of CO2 per kilo of fruit. The apple from South Africa weighed 263 grams, compared to 22 grams for the Styrian apple.
However, another calculation from this study also shows that only a small amount of CO2 can be saved overall by reaching for regional foods. According to the AMA, if all Austrians replaced half of their food with regional products, 580.000 tons of CO2 would be saved. That is only 0,07 tons per capita per year - with an average output of eleven tons, that is just a meager 0,6 percent of the total annual output.
Local is not organic
An important factor that is not often communicated: regional is not organic. While "organic" is officially regulated and the requirements for organic products are precisely defined, the term "regional" is neither protected nor defined or standardized. So we often reach for supposedly sustainable products from farmers in the neighboring village. But that this farmer uses conventional agriculture – perhaps even with environmentally harmful ones that are still permitted in Austria spray – operates is often not clear to us.
The example of tomatoes shows the difference: mineral fertilizers are used in conventional cultivation. The production of these fertilizers alone consumes so much energy that, according to experts, organic tomatoes from Sicily sometimes have a better CO2 balance than those from conventional agriculture that are shipped within the region in small vans. Especially when growing in heated greenhouses in Central Europe, the CO2 consumption usually shoots up many times over. As a consumer, however, you also have to weigh things up on an individual basis. If you drive more than 30 kilometers in your own fossil-fuelled car to go shopping at the farm shop, you generally throw a good climate balance overboard.
Economic development instead of environmental protection
Despite all these aspects, public authorities promote the regional procurement of food. In Austria, for example, the “GenussRegion Österreich” marketing initiative was initiated a few years ago by the Ministry of Life in cooperation with AMA. In order for a product to bear the “Austrian Region of Indulgence” label, the raw material must come from the respective region and be processed to a high standard in the region. Whether the product comes from conventional or organic farming was never a criterion. At least it could Greenpeace but in 2018 upgraded the "Austrian Region of Indulgence" quality mark from "conditionally trustworthy" to "trustworthy". At that time it was announced that bearers of the label would have to refrain from using genetically engineered feed completely by 2020 and would only be allowed to use regional feed.
At European level, the certification of products with "Protected Geographical Indication" and "Protected Designation of Origin" is important. However, the protection of specialties through the link between product quality and a eponymous place of origin or region of origin is in the foreground. Some critics believe that the idea of supplying food over short distances is not even of secondary importance.
The climate knows no borders
Despite all love of home, one thing is clear: climate change knows no borders. Last but not least, it should also be borne in mind that the consumption of imported organic food at least strengthens local organic farming - preferably in combination with the Fairtrade seal. While in Austria at least certain incentives are created or support is offered for organic farms, committed organic entrepreneurs* have to do pioneering work, especially in emerging countries.
Going unquestioningly to a product from the region can therefore be counterproductive. The marketing department of denn's Biomarkt puts it like this, in accordance with the prevailing school of thought: "In summary, one can say that regionality alone, in contrast to organic, is not a sustainability concept. However, regional food production could position itself as a strong duo together with organic agriculture. The following can therefore be used as a decision-making aid when shopping for groceries: organic, seasonal, regional – preferably in this order.”
REGIONAL IN NUMBERS
Over 70 percent of those surveyed buy regional groceries several times a month. Almost half stated that they even use regional groceries for their weekly grocery shopping. Austria takes the lead here with around 60 percent. Germany follows with around 47 percent and Switzerland with around 41 percent. 34 percent of those surveyed associate the consumption of regional food with a commitment to environmental protection, which also includes shorter transport routes. 47 percent expect a regional product to have been produced on farms no more than 100 kilometers away. At a distance of 200 kilometers, the agreement of those surveyed is far lower at 16 percent. Only 15 percent of consumers attach importance to the question of whether the products come from organic farming.
(Source: Studies by AT KEARNEY 2013, 2014; quoted in: Melissa Sarah Ragger: "Regional before organic?")
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