LOCAL apple-eaters have been urged to consume more British-grown fruit and vegetables to help lower fossil fuel emissions in our atmosphere.
Leeds Councillor Neil Buckley claimed that many overseas apple cultivars were only popular because of their appearance and price, and that British-grown varieties were tastier anyway.
He added that more could be done to encourage individuals to buy fruits and vegetables that are “a bit of a mess” in order to help reduce the UK’s carbon footprint.
The comments came during a meeting of Leeds City Council’s Climate Emergency Committee.
“Apples.” Coun Buckley began. “England is full of apple trees – but you go in the supermarket and you find 99 percent of the apples offered are very popular apples.
“The reason they are popular is that they look nice and the price is low. A lot of them are actually imported, yet tastier apples at a slightly higher price are grown here.”
Popular species of British-grown apples include Cox’s Orange Pippin, Bramley, Braeburn and Jazz. However, overseas-grown varieties, such as Pink Lady, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith have risen in popularity over the years.
The UK is one of the world’s top apple importers, bringing in around half a million tonnes of apples a year, while exporting only 15,000 tones. The transporting of food over long distances is known to contribute to carbon emissions, due to the amount of fuel needed to carry it.
“Apple trees are all over the place,” Coun Buckley continued. “But they often look nobbly and the supermarkets don’t like them. There is a whole discussion here about how people can buy fruits and vegetables that look a bit of a mess, but actually are great.”
Chairing the committee, Coun Neil Walshaw: “I don’t want to plug a particular supermarket, but there is a chain of supermarket that does wonky veg, and I completely advocate buying those.
“It is an interesting issue, and it is an easy carbon win, you would think.”
The meeting agreed to discuss the issue more at its biodiversity working group.
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