ABSTRACT
The food industry, one of the most carbon-intensive in the world, is by far the largest indirect contributor to UK emissions. The figures in this chapter suggest that producing and distributing food creates over five times the volume of the most energy-intensive manufacturing industry: iron and steel. 213 This isn't just about the carbon costs of transporting foodstuffs. The issue of ‘food miles’ is now becoming well understood; but it is only a small portion of the problem. The whole chain of supply is a huge user of fossil fuel from fertilizer on the fields to customers’ cars going to supermarkets.
