The Department for Transport has commissioned Scala Logistics Consulting to conduct surveys into the cost of ‘food miles’ on the environment and the UK transport system.
John Perry, managing director of Scala said that modern lifestyles menas that a greater number of goods are travelling a greater distance to reach consumers. “Within the food industry, quality, especially in fresh produce, often means travel from distant areas where produce is in season, and frequently means additional packaging to ensure unblemished condition”.
He said that these pressures, together with a growing and increasingly mobile population, make a safe, reliable and environmentally friendly transport system ever more difficult to achieve.
The DfT has conducted similar surveys in 1998 and 2002. Scala will be running two half-day workshops – North and South – during the week commencing 13th November 2006. These initial workshops will be aimed at senior managers and will explain the importance of the surveys and outline the projected timetable.
