Buying food from grocery retailers who are part of the modern transportation network is more energy efficient and environmentally-friendly than buying from local sources, according to Roger Cady, Ph.D.
, senior technical consultant at Elanco, who will speak on the topic during the Agricultural and Food Transporters Conference (AFTC) of the American Trucking Associations. Cady's presentation will be held at the Westin Arlington Gateway hotel in Arlington, Va., on Monday, Feb. 22.

Cady recently co-authored the report, "Demystifying the Environmental Sustainability of Food Production," which explores the benefits of the modern transportation network. According to the report, linear travel miles are not indicative of total energy use and therefore not necessarily a valid measure of the environmental impact of moving food over long distances. Instead of total miles traveled, the report suggests that the use per unit of food moved paints a more accurate picture of overall energy use.

For example, a modern refrigerated tractor-trailer uses the least amount of fuel per dozen eggs while traveling to a grocery store, and fuel consumption per dozen eggs purchased from a farmers market is more than eight times the amount used by tractor-trailer.

While the report did not examine all food products, it does conclude that "food should be grown where the agricultural resources and capacity are most suited to efficient food production," rather than close to population centers.

To access the full report, click here.