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Food miles: Starving the poor?

Author

Listed:
  • John Ballingall

    (New Zealand Institute of Economic Research)

  • Niven Winchester

    (Department of Economics, University of Otago)

Abstract

Food miles measure the distance food travels to reach consumers' plates. Although substituting local food for imported produce will not necessarily reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the food miles movement is widely supported by consumers and import-competing producers. We investigate the economic implications of food miles-induced preference changes in Europe using an economy-wide model. We observe large welfare losses for several Sub-Saharan African nations. We conclude that food miles campaigns will increase global inequality without necessarily improving environmental outcomes. Length: 30 pages

Suggested Citation

  • John Ballingall & Niven Winchester, 2008. "Food miles: Starving the poor?," Working Papers 0812, University of Otago, Department of Economics, revised Dec 2008.
    • Handle: RePEc:otg:wpaper:0812
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    File URL: http://www.otago.ac.nz/economics/research/otago0771016.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Helen Scharber & Anita Dancs, 2016. "Do locavores have a dilemma? Economic discourse and the local food critique," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 33(1), pages 121-133, March.
    2. Jose Nuno-Ledesma & Nelson B. Villoria, 2019. "Estimating International Trade Margins Shares by Mode of Transport for the GTAP Data Base," Journal of Global Economic Analysis, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University, vol. 4(1), pages 28-49, June.
    3. Jana Schwarz & Monica Schuster & Bernd Annaert & Miet Maertens & Erik Mathijs, 2016. "Sustainability of Global and Local Food Value Chains: An Empirical Comparison of Peruvian and Belgian Asparagus," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-22, April.
    4. Misak Avetisyan & Thomas Hertel & Gregory Sampson, 2014. "Is Local Food More Environmentally Friendly? The GHG Emissions Impacts of Consuming Imported versus Domestically Produced Food," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 58(3), pages 415-462, July.
    5. Lakner, Zoltan & Baker, Gregory A., 2014. "Struggling with Uncertainty: The State of Global Agri-Food Sector in 2030," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 17(4), pages 1-36, November.
    6. Son, Eun-ae & Lim, Song-Soo, 2013. "The Food Miles Effect of the Korea-China Free Trade Agreement," Journal of Rural Development/Nongchon-Gyeongje, Korea Rural Economic Institute, vol. 36(4), pages 1-19, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    food miles; non-tariff barriers; trade protection;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F18 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Environment
    • D58 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - Computable and Other Applied General Equilibrium Models

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