A new study has determined that transportation of organic produce causes an environmental impact large enough to cancel out any benefits.
Researchers at the University of Alberta in Canada collected shipping data on organic produce from six grocery stores.
They found that most of the fruit and vegetables had been trucked in, and that organic produce tended to come from farther away than conventional produce.
Organic mangoes, for example, were shipped from Ecuador and Peru, whereas conventional mangoes tended to come from Mexico.
The researchers calculated that the annual environmental cost for a city the size of Edmonton for transporting organic produce was as high as $175,000 Canadian, only slightly less than $183,000 Canadian for conventional produce.
Organic Consumers Association June 6, 2007
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