Deal With IT's Secretary Victoria Nicholls writes a regular column in the East Kent Mercury
Have you ever given a thought to the consequences of eating imported food? We have become very used to buying any variety of food and vegetable, whatever the season, without thinking about how it was produced and where it has come from. 
A very worrying report last week revealed that a dead sperm whale had been washed up on the south coast of Spain and it had swallowed 17kg of plastic waste. On investigation, it was discovered that most of this plastic had originated from the greenhouses in Almeria and Granada that are used to grow vegetables to export to the UK. Tesco, Sainsburys and Waitrose are all valued customers.
While most of the waste from these greenhouses is treated in special centres some escapes into local river beds and because the greenhouses are built right up to the shoreline, some inevitably ends up in the sea.
Because we can buy all these imported foods in our supermarkets we have forgotten how to eat in a seasonal way and forgotten the extra pleasure of looking forward to when fruits and vegetables are in season. Another effect of imported food being available all year round is, of course, that locally produced items are competing in a crowded market.
We also need to remember the extra carbon emissions or food miles associated with the transport of imported items and we need to cut our carbon emissions as much as possible.
So, when shopping, remember, eat seasonal, eat local, eat fruit and vegetables!
Victoria Nicholls Transition Deal
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