Food miles (non-statutory) | Science | Quizalize & Oak National Academy

Starter quiz

Which foods have to travel the greatest distance to get to us?
- foods grown abroad ✓
- foods grown locally
- foods grown in this country
Food that is local ...
- comes from areas that are nearby. ✓
- comes from other countries.
- comes from hotter countries.
What is seasonal food?
- food that must be stored in a fridge
- food that is only available at certain times of year ✓
- food that only grows in hot countries
Why should we eat seasonal, local foods?
- Seasonal, local foods are easier to find in the shops than foods from abroad.
- Seasonal, local foods are better for the environment than foods from abroad. ✓
- Seasonal, local foods are quicker to grow than foods from abroad.
Almonds are grown in California in America. How can this be harmful to the environment?
- Almonds need a little water to grow and California receives a lot of rain.
- Almonds need a lot of water to grow and California receives a lot of rain.
- Almonds need a lot of water to grow and California does not have a lot of rain. ✓
How can foods that take up a lot of space to grow have a negative effect on the environment?
- They take a long time to grow or be ready.
- The habitats of plants and wild animals are destroyed to make room for them. ✓
- They are only available at certain times of year.

How do farmers choose which foods to grow?
- how much they like to eat them
- whether they enjoy growing them
- demand from people ✓
A food that is seasonal ...
- is only harvested at certain times of year. ✓
- is only harvested in the summer.
- can be harvested throughout the year.
What are food miles?
- The distance between where food is grown or made and the shop where it is sold.
- The distance between where food is produced and where it is eaten. ✓
- The distance between the shop where food is sold and where it is eaten.
The food miles of which of these foods will likely have the least harmful impact on the environment?
- apples from New Zealand (11,426 food miles)
- green beans from Egypt (2608 food miles)
- potatoes from a local farm (12 food miles) ✓
Why do foods with a greater number of food miles have a greater impact on the environment?
- They have to travel further and this causes pollution. ✓
- They have to travel less far and this causes pollution.
- They have to travel further and this takes a lot of time.
Which of these are factors we should consider when thinking about the environmental impact of food?
- how many food miles it has travelled ✓
- how many different shops you can buy it in
- whether it is in season ✓
- how many nutrients it contains

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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.

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.

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.