WHEN REGIONAL SOURCING BECOMES AN ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM

Broccoli may be America’s favorite vegetable overall, but there’s no denying the widespread love of the tomato, a versatile plant that’s actually a fruit, and specifically a berry. Each year Americans consume about 20 pounds of tomatoes on average, which is good because tomatoes are a nutrient-dense food. (When considering processed forms such as sauces and ketchup, per capita consumption shoots up to 70 pounds.) Tomatoes are a major source of lycopene, an antioxidant linked to reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. They are also a fine source of potassium and the vitamins B9, C, and K, and they supply a good amount of fiber, 87% of which is insoluble. But tomatoes also require a lot of light and heat to grow, and both are a problem during winter. Among the conclusions of a study conducted by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality: “Heating greenhouses for out-of-season tomato production adds a significant contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, typically outweighing the impact of long-distance transport from warmer production regions. Agrichemicals are also important contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.” The latter is true whether the tomatoes are grown indoors or outside. Ultimately eating seasonal is the best way to go, but when that’s not possible transported goods are a better choice than out-of-season produce grown in a greenhouse. WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Tomatoes are good for you, but consumers should consider when and where they are grown. Those who want to eat tomatoes in winter can opt, for example, for tomatoes that come from Florida, where the warm climate lessens their environmental impact. On the other hand, Florida’s soil and humid climate are unsuitable for tomato cultivation, and growers use large quantities of chemicals to compensate for these conditions.