Air freight

Air freighting food raises concerns about its contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and consequently its contribution to climate change. This has prompted calls to reduce the practice of flying food to fill supermarket shelves. However, that could harm communities in poor countries who depend on horticultural exports.

Civil society groups have led public debate in the UK on this dilemma and the different groups have issued contrasting advice. As a result, retailers’ responses have ranged from labelling air freighted produce to defending its international development benefits.

Priorities

Retailers and civil society groups share the view that a more consistent approach to air freight could better serve the environment, development and consumers. Government can lead the way by creating policies, penalties and incentives to drive better environmental and ethical performance.

Priorities for intervention include:

• For food businesses to have overarching environmental strategies focussing on GHG hotspots rather than on air freight
• Holding retailers to account over how they are involved as ‘partners for development’ with producers in developing countries and what the benefits are to local communities
• Tackling the aspects of airfreight that are most widely agreed to be the problem, such as improving flight efficiency and planning
• Supporting government intervention to reduce market barriers to sustainable behaviour.