You are here:  Home > Think & Act > Environment > Carbon Express > Food Miles
University of Bristol
Wellcome Trust
Recommended by:
Society of Biology
PEEP for Physics & Ethics at GCSE
 

The Carbon
Express


Cross to this station Cross to this station Cross to this station Cross to this station Cross to this station Cross to this station Cross to this station Cross to this station Cross to this station Cross to this station Cross to this station Cross to this station Cross to this station Cross to this station Cross to this station Cross to this station

Question: How much does your food really cost?

 


Blueberries grown in Chile sold in a UK supermarket

Background:

  • Carbon emissions and climate change can be contributed to by the way in which we obtain our food.
  • FOOD MILES are a measure of the distance a food travels from the field to your plate.
  • Each mile is responsible for a weight of carbon dioxide which adds significantly to our carbon emissions.
  • According to DEFRA (Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), food miles rose by 15% between 1992 and 2002.  More detail
  • To find out more about FOOD MILES, visit the BBC website page on this topic:
  • Calculating FOOD MILES can be quite complex although it does give a good indication about the food we are eating and how much it might be responsible for carbon emissions. The full DEFRA report can be found here.

Your task: Change Lines?

You may wish to continue onwards to WHO CARES or take one of the branch lines to either

a) find out about actions which will help to ‘offset’ your own Carbon emissions or

b) to find out more about food miles and how you can help.


Find out WHO CARES about CARBON emissions.