Fife Diet cuts carbon emissions by over a quarter

PEOPLE following the "Fife diet" - a drive to source as much locally produced food as possible - generate more than a quarter less carbon than the UK average, a report claims.

The project, launched four years ago by Fife couple Mike and Karen Small, aims to cut down on the environmental impact of the weekly shop by encouraging people to buy locally grown, organic food.

It has now been adopted by more than 1,000 people and the Smalls hope to roll it out to other parts of Scotland. The "Foodprint" report, carried out by the Fife Diet Project with carbon consultants Climate Futures, shows that Fife dieters create an average "foodprint" - the amount of carbon generated as a result of a person's food consumption - was 27 per cent lower than the average consumer. And the most devout Fife dieters achieved a foodprint of up to 50 per cent lower. The production, packaging and transport of food consumes energy and results in carbon emissions linked to climate change.

"A recent report from the WWF showed that the way we produce our food is about 31 per cent of our household amount of carbon," said Small, a writer from Burntisland. "The good news is that we can change out foodprint by taking some action, but the bad news is that we won't without a massive change to our habits and the support of the Scottish Government."

The scheme has proved such a hit that other areas have followed suit. There is now a Cornish Diet, and Tipperary in Ireland has the Munster Menu. But the Smalls hope to win funding to extend the scheme across Scotland."We would like to see the Fife Diet in every region in Scotland," said Small. "We know that one small project like ours can cut emissions by up to half. If you do that across the country, we could make a large contribution to cutting carbon."

The Scottish Government, which funded the report through its 27.4 million Climate Challenge Fund, aims to cut carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.

A spokesman said: "The Fife Diet is an excellent example of how communities can work together to reduce their carbon footprint through grassroots action. By linking up with local farmers and suppliers, the Fife Diet is encouraging people to reduce their food miles."