To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to seek a reduction in the food miles of produce in national supermarkets. (177650)

While research for DEFRA has shown that food miles are an incomplete measure of the sustainability of the supply of food, reductions in transport can benefit society through reduced congestion and improved air quality. DEFRA supports the Food and Drink Industry Federation’s voluntary commitment, announced last October, to reduce the environmental and social costs of domestic food transportation by 20 per cent. by 2012 compared to 2002.