What does regionality mean?
The term 'regionally'is not protected, which is why producers can define it as they like. A food producer can declare a radius of 100 kilometers as regional. However, if he then sells his products in retail stores beyond this region, the Regionality little informative. It is therefore not easy for consumers to see how regional a product actually is.
Beware of greenwashing
Consumers associate the 'regional' label with environmental friendliness and sustainability, which is why companies use it as advertising strategy Use and thus exploit the fact that the name is simply not clearly defined. However, consumers should Don't confuse regional with organic, as products from the region are not certified organic must be. Conversely, organic products do not automatically come from the region.
Both can have advantages — depending on what is more important to end users: organic usually means that when growing no mineral fertilizers or synthetic plant protection products be used. Regional products have the advantage that the Shorter transport routes are and that you - often small - Local businesses can support. These are often small and find it difficult to compete on the market against the large competition enforce.
Transparency through the regional window
In order to create more transparency, there is now the Regional Window Initiative on food: One voluntary seal, on which the Region delimited and specifically named must be. This makes it easier for customers to shop consciously and creates trust.
However, it is also argued that the Transport routes are not automatically decisive for a good or poor environmental balance If you want to be very specific, you might therefore be better off with fruit and vegetables seasonality. All seals have their advantages and disadvantages through different priorities, which cosnuments must weigh up for themselves.
