Local Produce - Self Declared indicates that produce has travelled less than 100 km to its sale point. It is usually seasonal, which means it should be flavoursome and have high nutrient value. It is widely thought that along with nutrients, products like fruit, vegetables, eggs, dairy, honey, if sourced locally will also be more sensitive to local conditions like allergies and pollutants.
Local also invariably means you are buying produce from the farmer who grew it or not more than one middle person away from the farmer.You would also typically know where the produce was grown.
Produce that travels long distances is usually refrigerated and sits on shelves for some time, losing vital nutrients and antioxidants. The economic benefits of not transporting, nor refrigerating and storing produce, generally means it is cheaper and the farmer has the opportunity to generate more income and use less pesticides or ripening agents on produce.
EKKO SCORE: Local Produce - Self Declared sits in the LOCAL Family under the Environmental Standard: Place of Origin of Ekko Score. One set of weighted Ekko Score points are gathered from each Family.
These are the claimable declarations & certifications under the Environmental Standard: Place of Origin. Please note that different certifications and declarations may be relevant to each category.
Yes, where the impact of the claim is similar. This is how it works.
IMPORTANTLY, SELF DECLARATIONS ARE GOVERNED BY CONSUMER LAW. IT IS AGAINST THE LAW FOR BUSINESSES TO MAKE FALSE CLAIMS (INCLUDING IMPLIED CLAIMS IN A CONTEXT LIKE EKKO SCORE).
EVEN IF A PRODUCT HAS A FORMAL CERTIFICATION, THAT CERTIFICATION DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ENTIRE INTEGRITY OF THE PRODUCT'S MAKE UP.
An example might be a Handmade, Australian, Certified Organic chocolate that contains Palm Oil. Under Ekko Score, this product would claim Certified Organic and would self declare: Zero Waste Production and Australian made, but could not claim the No Palm Oil declaration. This would mean a lower score under the Organic - Chemical Free Standard, making the inclusion of Palm Oil clear to potential consumers, without detracting from its other assets.
No product is perfect, but some products are definitely better than others. Ekko Score allows you to make the best decision you can, or to put it another way, the least worst decision. And to make that decision with the confidence of not being green washed. Find out more about how Ekko Score works.