At the beginning of summer, I experienced an unfortunate reality check. While fantasizing about sunbathing in the park accompanied by an abundant summer picnic, I reveled over my famous watermelon-feta salad. This salad, I told my friend, would make an appearance on the next warm day. Foolishly expecting her to “ooh and ahh,” she instead told me that I would have to wait until July to realize this dream. It was still too early for watermelons.
In such a globalized world, we are afforded the luxury of having most produce products available to us. Year-round, I can expect to see yellow bananas on the shelves, piles of avocados, copious amounts of apple varieties, and the list goes on. However, this consistent selection does not hold up at my local farmer’s market. With produce varying monthly, I often never know what I am going to be able to get.
Of course, it is comforting to know that the grocery store will (almost) always have what I need. But what if we started to take more hints from our local farmer’s markets? I did some digging, and buying seasonal produce might just be the way to go. As it turns out, eating seasonally doesn’t just benefit the environment, but it also can benefit our health.
According to York University’s Food Policy for Canada Program, Canada’s food system and infrastructure accounts for 30-40% of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions. An important caveat to note is that Canada does not collect data on food system emissions, so this number was produced from triangulating data from various studies and sources. Within this metric, underscoring Canada’s reliance on trucks to transport agricultural and animal products is integral, as these operations account for 10-20% of the total food system emissions. Experts have labeled the impact of food transportation as foods miles. This term refers to the distance that food travels “from the point of production to the point of consumption.”
There is nuance here, for it is not only how far food has traveled, but also its mode of transport used by consumers that should be considered when measuring environmental impact. Sometimes it is more environmentally friendly for there to be a greater number of trucks transporting food to more easily accessible, local stores that people can walk/bike to rather than drive. This is also interesting when considering the argument that local produce is better for the environment because they travel shorter distances. In the UK, one study found that when tomatoes were grown locally, but not during their growing season, they had a greater carbon footprint than tomatoes that were grown in Spain (in season) and then transported to the UK. This may have to do with the amount of energy greenhouses require to maintain optimal growing conditions for out-of-season produce. It also has important implications for how we view locally grown produce. Of course, there is a benefit to consuming locally grown produce as you are supporting local industry and smallholder farmers – but in-season is still the way to go.
What about the impacts of eating seasonal produce on the body? According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, eating fresh seasonal produce is both better tasting and also higher in nutritional value. When produce is picked at peak maturity, it has the highest number of vitamins and minerals. Unfortunately, it is right after harvest that the nutrient degradation clock begins. It is estimated that it can take up to two weeks for produce to make it from harvest to your local supermarket. Then, if you’re like me, a few more days before the food makes it into your belly. This is all to say that – unless you can confirm that the produce you are getting at the grocery store is local – it probably is not in peak condition. In fact, fresh peas can lose nearly 50% of their vitamin C content in one week when left at room temperature. Even though refrigeration slows down this degradation process, it still does not curb it entirely. Despite this, it is important to remember that eating produce that has experienced a decrease in nutritional value is still better than not eating it at all!
However, when considering freezing produce right after harvest, well, that is a different story. Typically, frozen food producers flash-freeze produce immediately after harvest, which preserve the nutrients that would otherwise be lost. Of course, this has textural implications for when you do break out the freezer bag of peas.
Naturally, eating seasonal produce encourages a varied diet. When we vary what we eat from season to season, we naturally cycle through various nutrients. Additionally, eating seasonally can decrease your carbon footprint. By visiting local farmers’ markets or purchasing locally grown, seasonal produce at the grocery store, you are supporting a more environmentally friendly food economy. Oftentimes, we are reminded that everything we do has a carbon footprint. It seems like any step we take to minimize this is insignificant or not sustainable in the long term. Eating seasonal produce is a step in the right direction, not only for your own benefit, but also for the benefit of the planet.
So, what is in season? Of course, it depends on where you call home. For our Quebec readers, Ailments du Quebec has put together a useful guide of what is in season when. Another useful guide comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This month, keep an eye out for those delicious apples, peppers, tomatoes, and pumpkins. Now, get to cooking!
Eva Kellner is a recent graduate from the Faculty of Arts and Science, with a major in Environment. Her research interests include urban green spaces, urban agriculture, and outdoor community spaces - all as promoters of climate resilience among city-dwellers.
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