Dinner 'travels globe to table'

A European turkey, African vegetables, Australian wine and American cranberry sauce will have notched up enough miles to circumnavigate the globe, she says.

Ms Lucas is calling for an end to the international trade in produce that is just as easily acquired locally.

"There's simply no need to eat mange tout from Zimbabwe," she said.

Ms Lucas, a member of the European Parliament's International Trade Committee and an MEP for the south-east England, said thoughtless sourcing of produce was contributing significantly to the aviation industry's greenhouse gas emissions and the extension of "monoculture" farming.

GREEN COST OF CHRISTMAS

• 200,000 trees are felled to supply 1.7bn Christmas cards sent in the UK
• 40,000 trees are used to make 8,000 tonnes of wrapping paper used for presents
• Nearly 6m Christmas trees end up in landfill sites every January
• The UK throws out 3m tonnes of extra waste over Christmas

She said: "Ingredients for a traditional Christmas Dinner are in season in the UK right now - that's why they're traditionally eaten at Christmas."

Author of a European Parliament report called Stopping the Great Food Swap, she added: "African farmers are paying a high social and environmental price for switching traditional production to inappropriate cash crops geared for western markets, but seeing few of the financial benefits.

"By eating locally grown produce we can enjoy fresher, tastier food, support our local economies - and cut out some of the greenhouse gas emissions produced by the aviation industry as it flies all these vegetables around the world."

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