If we take our ‘just-in-time’ food distribution system, we can see that it takes only a minor shock to almost bring our food system to a halt. In the UK in 2000, road hauliers’ protests at increasing fuel costs led to a blockade of fuel depots across the country and brought the food distribution system to a standstill. Supermarket bosses told government ministers that shelves could be bare within three days. Considering 80 per cent of our food is purchased through supermarkets, this is a sobering example and highlights the folly of relying on foods sourced from great distances: not only does it lead consumers vulnerable; the food miles are contributing to climate change.

In September 2010 two academics from the Universities of Nottingham and Leicester set out to explore how easy it would be to live off local food, produced within a 2-mile radius of their house. It was not easy to find locally-sourced supplies but they survived for a month (loosing quite a lot of weight). A short film about the rationale behind their project can be found here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/nottingham/hi/people_and_places/nature/newsid_8858000/8858393.stm

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