Key learning points

1. All food has to travel to reach our plates and the distance it travels is known as food miles.
2. The total food miles will depend on the different stages and route of a food’s journey.
3. Maps or the internet can be used to calculate the approximate food miles of different food products.
4. 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