The distance food travels
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what food miles are and analyse the positive and negative impacts of both locally produced and imported food.
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.
Teacher tip
Food miles are a complex and controversial issue to discuss in the classroom. It may be helpful to agree some ground rules as a class to ensure everyone feels able to express their opinions.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the key words to the correct definition.
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
Q2.Different foods grow better in different
Q3.Which of these describe a tropical climate?
Q4.Which of these are tropical fruits?
Q5.When can you start to harvest these foods in the UK?
Early summer
All year
Late summer
Q6.Where do many of the fruit and vegetables in our supermarkets come from?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the key word to the correct term.
goods that are brought in from another country
goods that are sent out to another country
gases in the atmosphere that trap heat
Q2.What are food miles?
Q3.Put the journey of a banana in the correct order.
Q4.Which of the stages of a bananas journey happens in the UK?
Q5.A __________ footprint is a measure of the total amount of greenhouse gases that are released as a result of our actions.
Q6.What are reasons to 'buy local'?
To help you plan your 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 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 primary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.