Transcript What are food miles?

What are food miles?
Food miles are the measure of the
distance a food travels from field to
plate.
Why does our food travel so
far?
 supermarkets have taken over from local
and regional markets.
 ingredients travel around the country
from factory to factory, before they make
their way to the shops.
 Ninety-five per cent of the fruit and half of
the vegetables in the UK are imported.
Journey of a prawn
How far has my food travelled?
 A food’s country of origin may be on the
label.
 The means of transport - as well as the
distance - is important.
 Good farmers’ markets have a policy of
selling food from within a defined local
area.
What can I do?
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Buy food that is grown locally.
Buy food when it is in season.
Walk to local shops.
Buying food with as little packaging as
possible.
Project ideas
 Find out how many food miles your food
has travelled.
 Make a map of all of the places that your
food has come from.
 Find out what farmers grow around St
Neots.
 Test a basket of shopping to find out
where your favourite foods come from.
Research ideas