Buying Dragon Fruit Is Like Driving 60 Kilometers

They are exotic, full of colors and intense flavors. Guava, persimmon, red pitaya, papaya… Who wouldn’t like tropical fruits? It is not surprising that their consumption has increased in recent years, often encouraged by the legend that they are ‘superfoods full of vitamins‘. Although, in reality, they may not be more nutritious than the traditional fruits grown in our country, including papaya or the Canary Islands bananas. The problem with those coming from afar lies in their carbon footprint.

To put it simply: a Canary Islands papaya is a 70% more sustainable than the one imported from overseas (Brazil). Because until teleportation is invented, to travel from Southeast Asia or the American continent they have to travel thousands of kilometers. That translates into tons of fuel for ships, airplanes and the necessary refrigeration (fruits are perishable foods and time is money). And the same goes for the cardboard and plastic for the packaging in which they travel for several days.

Before buying, pull out the calculator

The carbon footprint is a concept that summarizes the environmental impact of a product or human activity. Everything generates a carbon footprint; even we ourselves, by breathing or walking, emit a tiny amount of greenhouse gases. The point is that there are certain products whose environmental impact can be ten times higher than other similar ones.

A peach grown in Murcia and consumed in season has an average carbon footprint of 0.4 kg CO2e (the ‘e’ indicates equivalent, meaning all greenhouse gases such as methane or nitrous oxide are added). A tropical fruit imported by plane can reach 10 – 15 kg CO2e. Imagine a pitaya coming from Vietnam. Although it is a cactus species whose cultivation requires less water than the peach, the environmental impact soars when it has to travel the 10,000 – 11,000 kilometers to Spain, usually by plane. In terms of carbon footprint, it would be like driving a gasoline car about 50-60 kilometers to buy just one piece of fruit.

Some pitahyas arrive in our country from Southeast Asia by ship. In this case the journey can last between 35 and 40 days. Emissions are reduced notably: between 0.15 and 0.30 kg CO2e. The risk in this case is food waste, since in this time it is more likely that some pieces spoil.

Although not a common crop, on the Spanish Costa Tropical (Granada and Málaga) they are also produced. In this case they are transported by road in trucks and the carbon footprint of these pitahayas does not exceed 0.3 – 0.6 kgCO2e. 

Healthy, Sustainable, or Both

The carbon footprint concept matters to meet the Paris Agreement and keep total emissions at levels that help prevent raising the planet’s temperature beyond 1.5°C.

Manuel Moñino, dietitian-nutritionist and honorary member of the Spanish Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, has it clear: it is better to opt for seasonal and local fruits than arrivals from across the seas. In the expert’s words: “the general recommendation for a healthy Mediterranean-style diet is to consume at least five servings of fresh, seasonal, non-pureed fruits and vegetables. If among them we include some exotic fruit because we like their sensory characteristics, perfect. But let us not do it because we think they are healthier than the ones grown in our surroundings”.

They are more showy, but not healthier

Fruits are foods of high nutritional value. Not for nothing, in their relatively few calories they provide a wide variety of nutrients and bioactive substances. And when it comes to what matters, to their benefits for your body, it makes no difference whether the fruit comes from a domestic orchard or has crossed the ocean. As the dietitian-nutritionist states, “the fact that they are tropical or exotic does not provide any differential value compared to those of the Mediterranean diet“.

Some exotic fruits that, like monk fruit or dragon fruit, are classified as ‘superfoods’, a term nutrition professionals reject because it implies almost miraculous properties for a food. In this case it is due to their supply of antioxidant bioactive compounds, their sweetening power or their content of vitamins or minerals. But “although nutritious, they should not routinely displace the consumption of fresh, local fruits. Variety in the choice of seasonal fruits is a plus to improve the quality of the diet”.

Before buying them, think of the planet

It is time to talk about food sustainability. And here tropical fruits have everything against them. Their nutritional benefits do not differ from what we can find in oranges, peaches from Alcantarilla, cherries or a melon from Villaconejos, to name a few examples of locally grown fruits. “And they come with the drawback of a greater impact on food systems due to the carbon footprint associated with their transport and preservation,” adds Moñino. Put differently, exotic fruits can be very tasty and showy, but their consumption is not sustainable. Your palate will enjoy, but the planet suffers.

A quick aside: there are some fruit distributors that can contribute to sustainability in their social and ethical axis. They are those fair-trade fruits whose sale helps the economy of those local populations. “But generally that is not the case,” Moñino replies. What in our imagination sounds like helping local farmers, in reality, is buying from large agricultural operations that do not hesitate to deforest large tracts of land for their plantations. “Although these distributors use carbon offsetting strategies, this is not usually understood by consumers.” And there remains always the question of how ethical it is to alter the environment in one place on the planet and then compensate by planting trees somewhere else.

Let Dessert Not Put the Planet at Risk

A sustainable diet involves prioritizing seasonal and locally sourced fruits over tropical ones or imports out of season. In winter it is orange season, and in summer, melon, watermelon, or stone fruits. Looking for plums in January is buying a fruit that has crossed half the world to reach your pantry.

If necessary, if we have a crush or an imperative need for a dish, it is always wise to “choose fruits produced sustainably, among others organic or integrated.” Although it is not a bad idea to look for seasonal alternatives or, simply, to take note of what our grandmothers did with retro cooking and plan market-based dishes with seasonal produce.