150-kilometre meal gains momentum

"50 years ago nearly all the food we ate came from within 30 kilometres of our homes," says Ibtisam Al Faruji, Head of Marketing at the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE) and the woman leading the newly-launched government-run Origin Oman campaign.

"Food has become anonymous. We don't understand where it comes from anymore. It's become more convenient and abundant. We just eat it and continue our lives," adds the PEIE marketer. "Buying locally may not be the easiest task for everyone, but if we as a nation are to tackle the mammoth food transportation problem and improve the domestic economy as well as our health, then we had better start trying," continues Ibtisam.

Ibtisam along with PEIE colleagues Hamida Al Balushi, Mulkie Al Hashmi, Zuhair Al Zadjali and Nasser Al Rahbi are co-ordinating the 150 Kilometre Meal project and she insists: "It's not a back-to-nature movement rejecting the 21st century. It's a flexible, consciousness-raising exercise to show what realistic economic and environmental changes people can make while enjoying Omani food eaten in season. I think people who attend the 150 Kilometre Meal at the Oman Tourism College on May 26 and 27 will do so for very different reasons. Some will leave the event wanting to source 100% of their food locally while others will be saying: 'OK, I've understood the concept. I can now cook an Oman-produced meal.' We're not trying to prescribe, we're just pointing out that local produce is available and we encourage people to take advantage of it."

The idea of living off locally-sourced food has fallen out of fashion only in the last few decades. But PEIE's Hamida Al Balushi says: "Today, we've got any time, any place, anywhere food - this approach may work for telecoms but when it comes to food it's an unsustainable way to live."

Hamida admits that choosing to eat from such a rigidly-defined area is a leap into the unknown for many city-dwelling Oman-based families but firmly believes that actions like the 150 Kilometre Meal can make a difference, as what we choose to eat is one of the few areas where we can independently reduce our carbon footprint.

"We have to wake up to how important the carbon footprint of food is," says Nasser Al Rahbi, PEIE's Media Co-ordinator: "The food industry can have a huge impact on this and it's an area where individuals have real power when they act collectively on a small scale. It's a very competitive market, so it means that consumer choices, even at the margins, can make a difference to communities right across Oman."

Al Rahbi says there are many other benefits of the Origin Oman 150 Kilometre Meal project beyond simply reducing greenhouse gas emissions. "I think there are a lot of other win-wins out there. Buying locally, with more money flowing into the local economy, is good for the whole community. There will hopefully be less packaging and the food will be fresher and healthier as well."