The discussion around food miles continues to grow. It’s become a really hot topic over the last few months for government, industry, and environmental and consumer groups. At its core are environmental and social concerns relating to the impact our food choices are having on the environment, a growing interest in the safety, ethics and origins of the food we eat, and spiralling costs in relation to energy usage.

The free report The Food Miles Challenge: How Consumers and Retailers are Responding, only available from ReportBuyer.com, provides a valuable look at the major changes in food production and the supply chain. It also looks at the consequences of these changes and what various groups are doing to tackle the issue of food miles.

NGOs and consumer groups are increasingly calling on government to address this issue before the environmental impact is irreparable. It is suggested that the Government should incentivise industry to reduce food miles and should help to educate the public on the impact their food choices are having.

To tackle these concerns the Government has set out a vision and challenge to achieve a major shift to deliver new products and services with lower environmental impacts across their lifecycle, while at the same time boosting competitiveness.

Read The Food Miles Challenge: How Consumers and Retailers are Responding to find out more about the growth in awareness of food sustainability and the increased pressure to reduce the miles that food travels to reach the table. There is a balance to be struck between consumer choice, free markets, and social and environmental sustainability. While the challenges are daunting, companies that take a lead could benefit from business opportunities offered by tackling this issue.