The distance food travels
I can explain what food miles are and analyse the positive and negative impacts of both locally produced and imported food.
The distance food travels
I can explain what food miles are and analyse the positive and negative impacts of both locally produced and imported food.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- All food has to travel to reach our plates and the distance it travels is known as food miles.
- The total food miles will depend on the different stages and route of a food’s journey.
- Maps or the internet can be used to calculate the approximate food miles of different food products.
- There is debate about the relative positive and negative consequences of sourcing food locally versus importing it.
Keywords
Exported - Goods that are exported are sent out to another country
Carbon footprint - A carbon footprint is a measure of the total amount of greenhouses gases that are released as a result of our actions
Greenhouse gas emissions - Greenhouse gas emissions are the release of gases into Earth's atmosphere that trap heat and contribute to climate change
Food miles - Food miles measure the distance between where a food is grown or made to where it is eaten
Intensive farming - Intensive agriculture is farming that uses more machines, workers and chemicals so that as many crops or animals as possible can be farmed on the space available
Common misconception
All food has the same carbon footprint.
Meat and dairy products have a higher carbon footprint than most fruit or vegetables.
To help you plan your year 6 geography lesson on: The distance food travels, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 6 geography lesson on: The distance food travels, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 geography lessons from the Farms and factories: where does our food come from? unit, dive into the full secondary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Starter quiz
6 Questions
the time of year a food is ready to be harvested
the time of year when a food is not naturally ready for harvesting
goods brought in from another country
Early summer
All year
Late summer
Exit quiz
6 Questions
goods that are brought in from another country
goods that are sent out to another country
gases in the atmosphere that trap heat