How Organics Can Help Break the Chains of U.S. Dependence on Foreign Oil EDITORIAL ADVISORY Ryan Zinn 415-271-6833 June 30, 2005 ryan at organicconsumers.org Adam Eidinger 202-744-2671 From Farm to Fork: How Much Oil Did You Eat Today?
Depending on Cheap, Imported Oil is Risky Business NATIONWIDE – Every day millions of American consumers purchase food from grocery store chains without giving much thought to the oil and energy resources involved in chemical-intensive industrial agriculture and long distance food transportation. To promote health, sustainability, and Fair Trade, and to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and non-renewable energy sources, the Organic Consumer’s Association has launched a new consumer education campaign called Breaking the Chains: Buy Local, Organic and Fair Made. Agriculture directly accounts for 17% of all the energy used in the U.S. Petroleum-derived agricultural chemicals such as synthetic fertilizers (12 Billion pounds per year), pesticides and herbicides (a billion pounds per year), account for more than half of all on-farm energy use. According to the Earth Policy Institute, the U.S. food system, from actual food production (synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, etc.), energy for
