Transport
Transport is an important element of the food and drink manufacturing process
because it is how we move food and drink around what we call the 'supply
chain'.
Transport is necessary to take the raw ingredients grown by farmers to
factories
to
be turned into the great-tasting products we eat every day. Transport is
also how
these products get from factories to the warehouses owned by
supermarket
chains
and other retailers, from where they are taken to the stores where
we do
our
shopping.
Most of our food and drink is transported by road in lorries, which run on
diesel. Concern is growing about the impact of emissions from these vehicles on
our
environment. However, although research published by Defra shows that
congestion,
damage to infrastructure and accidents account for most of the £9bn external
costs
of domestic food transport per annum, nearly half of this total comes from
consumers' own use of cars.
To help mitigate the impacts of food transport FDF members have committed to a
UK food chain target to reduce the environmental and social impact of its
domestic food transportation by 20% by 2012, compared with 2002 under FDF's
Five-fold
Environmental Ambition.
In July 2008, FDF launched its Checklist and Clause on Greener Food Transport.
Forty-seven companies with a combined turnover of £17 billion have already
signed
up.
FDF's checklist summarises transport environmental best practice in the
day-to-day operation of their fleets. The Checklist covers key issues such as
maximising
verhicle loading, the ratio of trailers to tractors, empty running, driver
training and vehicle maintenance.
FDF's Enviromental Clause allows members to embed the principles of the
Checklist at the heart of their relationships with third party hauliers. It
requires a
contracting haulier to develop and publish a fewer and friendlier food
transport
miles manifesto and to provide qualitiative and annual reports to demonstrate
progress.
FDF will publish qualitative progress reports to complement quantitative
reporting undertaken by Defra for the food chain as a whole.
More Information
Last reviewed: 26 Nov 2008