Where That Food Stat Came From

From an article written by Slate.com's Jane Black:

Back in May, chef Dan Barber noted on the New York Times op-ed page that $4 per gallon diesel fuel means "it's no longer efficient to transport food 1,500 miles from where it's grown." When Wal-Mart decided to start buying more local produce last July, the company issued a press release stating that an average meal travels 1,500 miles "before it gets to you."

The stat has popped up in Newsweek, Time, even Slate's own 2006 "Green Challenge."

Not since Newsweek announced that a woman had a better chance of getting killed by a terrorist than getting married after 40 has a statistic been embraced so enthusiastically.

There's just one problem. It's only sort of true — and only if you live in Chicago.

The full article can be accessed here.