Seasonal food issues

The sustainability of seasonal food consumption is challenged by different points of criticism:

• Consumption of seasonal food is often perceived as a limit in the variety of food in the diet.
• The impacts on health, environment, society and economy vary depending on the definition of seasonal food being used (global/local seasonality).
• Considering the carbon footprint of the whole food chain, the avoidance of energy demands, e.g. for heating of greenhouses or less energy for storage and transportation, has a limited impact proportion.
• The type of energy source (fossil/renewable fuel) used in the respective country needs to be taken into account.
• Seasonality is challenged by modern production techniques.
• There is minor sustainability impact when the consumption of seasonal food is the only action of sustainability. A holistic view including social and environmental factors is necessary.