Revealing hidden transport component of consumer products

The SAFE Alliance is a UK network of 32 environment, farmers and consumer organisations promoting a more sustainable food culture. In 1995, SAFE started the FOODMILES campaign to raise awareness of the fact that food is being transported over thousands of kilometers and to make the connection between today's industrial food production and distribution and environmental damage. The simple slogan of reducing FOODMILES has been used to promote sustainable agriculture, farmers markets, consumer-producer links (vegetable box schemes), growing food in cities etc. In 1996, SAFE organised the FOODMILES workshop, in which 70 representatives of NGOs, farmer organisations and local communities participated, local training days and a National Day of Action on supermarkets, when SAFE demanded that supermarkets source "Food from Britain". Local groups were given briefing sheets on how to campaign on out-of-town supermarkets, given arguments to counter the myths of job creation and cheap prices and presented with sustainable alternatives to supermarkets. This action led to a motion in government. SAFE receiving the BBC Best Education Campaign Award.