I may be repeating myself here with this question, but why are there still so many non-seasonal fruits and vegetables on offer that have to be imported from far away or kept in refrigerated warehouses using a lot of energy? Is it necessary to sell strawberries or grapes at Christmas, for example? Is it necessary for apples and pears to be offered for sale all year round? This also includes processed products such as fruit juices.
There are overviews (e.g. from WWF) that declare how long a fruit or vegetable can be used with a clear conscience. Couldn't Migros use this as a guide and only offer seasonal products?
They will probably come up with the argument that this is what customers want. That's clear, but if the products are on sale, then they will be bought. If they are no longer available out of season, then they won't be bought. Some people would probably ask why there are no grapes on sale now, for example. But you could then inform them accordingly. For the majority of customers today, it is very difficult to decide what can be bought with a clear conscience and what is better not to buy (this also includes products transported by airplane). That's why the big suppliers, such as Migros, should set a good example here and not offer these products and provide information accordingly, in line with the repeatedly communicated concept of sustainability.
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@tnaegelin
Not necessary, but it's hard to imagine life without it as long as the competition offers the full range of products. Otherwise, many would probably just get their strawberries elsewhere in winter...
And: a not irrelevant proportion of fruit would be lost (bananas, mango, papaya, avocado, pineapple, etc.) because they are never "seasonal" in Europe.
Unfortunately, yes ... in this day and age. It would be nice if all the major providers would join forces and gradually move in a sustainable direction. Nevertheless, information remains important and a lot could still be influenced by the price.
@BodenseeknusperliThankyou for the link. I also love apples for as long as possible each year. But as far as I know, the problem lies precisely with these "state-of-the-art storage techniques". They require a lot of electricity. At some point in the spring, this then tips in the direction of imported apples from the southern hemisphere, which suddenly become more sustainable than those from Switzerland despite long transportation routes. And that shouldn't be the case.
Guest
@tnaegelin... although this year, due to the frosty nights in April, the domestic supply will not be sufficient and will be imported.
https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/panorama/vermischtes/der-schweiz-gehen-wegen-des-aprilfrosts-die-aepfel-aus/story/25898609
But the apples will not come from Germany - because there are also problems there due to the frost...http://www.rp-online.de/nrw/panorama/warum-aepfel-in-dieser-saison-knapper-und-teurer-werden-aid-1.7028403
... so New Zealand, South Africa, Chile...
@marcotiThankyou for the links. That's exactly what I mean. At some point it just ends. Sometimes sooner, sometimes later. Does importing from far away really make sense then?
Here is also a link to an article on this topic:
https://www.beobachter.ch/konsum/import-weitgereiste-biofruchte
See tip 3: Shop seasonally:
"Local fruit and vegetables are not always the best in terms of life cycle assessment. This is especially true for apples and pears, which, when consumed freshly harvested, have the best ecological balance sheet - but not if you buy them as stored fruit into the summer.
Which is better: a Swiss apple that has been stored for five months at one to two degrees in cold storage, or a freshly harvested organic apple from New Zealand that has traveled over 20,000 kilometers by ship?
Environmental engineer Niels Jungbluth doesn't need to ask this question: at some point in the spring, the ecological footprint of both apples will be the same, he says. Otherwise, the only thing that helps is the old advice to make sure you buy seasonal fruit and vegetables."
You can find out what seasonal shopping means, for example, in the two overviews linked in the article:
Fruit
Vegetables
My conclusion: buy as seasonally as possible (e.g. pay attention to the varieties in store when buying apples) and largely avoid goods imported from far away. A label that helps consumers would be helpful here.
@BodenseeknusperliThankyou for the link. I also love apples for as long as possible each year. But as far as I know, the problem lies precisely with these "state-of-the-art storage techniques". They require a lot of electricity. At some point in the spring, this then tips in the direction of imported apples from the southern hemisphere, which suddenly become more sustainable than those from Switzerland despite long transportation routes. And that shouldn't be the case.
The fact that imported apples are more sustainable than domestic stored apples at some point during the year is not true, or at least no longer true: https://www.srf.ch/wissen/nachhaltigkeit/frische-aepfel-im-juni-schweizer-aepfel-vs-neuseeland-import-was-ist-klimafreundlicher
The fact that imported apples are more sustainable than domestic stored apples at some point during the year is not true, or at least no longer true: https://www.srf.ch/wissen/nachhaltigkeit/frische-aepfel-im-juni-schweizer-aepfel-vs-neuseeland-import-was-ist-klimafreundlicher
Oh, exciting. Thanks for the info.