Food Miles

Well, I guess it was inevitable that one day I would resort to blipping inside the shop where I work three days a week, Roaring Water Wholefoods ( named after the bay ). Today was that day, as it has rained heavily all day!
We sell organic wholefoods and wines, complementary medicines, organic toiletries, organic fruit and vegetables ( locally produced wherever possible ) and a range of gluten free foods.
I blipped a random shelf and decided to look at the countries of origin. So we have haricot, mung and aduki beans, pine nuts and buckwheat from China. Chrystalised ginger, pecan nuts and blueberries from the USA, brown lentils, hazel nuts, figs and bulgar from turkey, Chestnuts and green lentils from Italy, walnuts from India, Cashews from Brazil, dates from Tunisia, brazil nuts from Bolivia, prunes from Chile, puy lentils and cranberries from Canada, mung dhal from Thailand, green split peas from Slovakia and yellow split, barley, oatgroats, oatmeal and oatbran from the UK! Not one product from Ireland and when it comes to transport that's one hell of a lot of food miles! At least these items can be shipped rather than flown in!
It's challenging to tread lightly on the planet, I think best of all has to be to eat local and grow your own if you can, oh dear doing us out of business now!