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.
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.
Common misconception
All food has the same carbon footprint.
Meat and dairy products have a higher carbon footprint than most fruit or vegetables.
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
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Video
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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