Food miles (non-statutory)
I can research how far the food I eat has to travel and the impact this has on the environment.
Food miles (non-statutory)
I can research how far the food I eat has to travel and the impact this has on the environment.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Much of the food we eat can be grown to meet our demands.
- Food miles is the distance food travels from the place it is grown to our plates.
- 'Food miles' provides one way to measure how the way we get our food can impact the environment.
Keywords
Seasonal - Food that is seasonal is only harvested at certain times each year.
Food miles - Food miles are the distance between the place where food is grown or made and the place where it is eaten.
Environment - The environment is the air, water, and land in or on which people, animals, and plants live.
Common misconception
Pupils may be unaware of the provenance of their food and the possible environmental effect of eating foods from different countries.
Explanation of how some foods are grown in England and how eating local, seasonal food can minimise the impact on the environment.
To help you plan your year 3 science lesson on: Food miles (non-statutory), download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 3 science lesson on: Food miles (non-statutory), 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 science lessons from the Healthy eating unit, dive into the full secondary science curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
access to internet
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Starter quiz
6 Questions






Exit quiz
6 Questions







