6.1.6

Food & The Environment 2

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Reasons for Buying Locally

Food miles are the miles far food travels between producer and consumer. Some food travels long distances before it's sold - which is very bad for the environment.

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Environmental impact of food miles

  • Global warming - modes of transporting food (planes, trucks, ships) release carbon dioxide by burning fossil fuels.
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Reasons for accumulating food miles

  • Importing foods can be cheaper than producing.
  • Consumers demand seasonal food all year round.
  • Some foods aren't grown in certain countries (e.g. mangoes in the UK).
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The advantages of buying locally

  • Usually fresher than imported foods.
  • Reduces food miles.
  • Supports local producers and businesses.
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Disadvantages of buying locally

  • Unpreserved/packaged foods go off quicker.
  • Some foods are only available seasonally, so less choice.

Carbon Footprint

A carbon footprint measures the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere because of an individual's, organisation's, or community's actions.

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Measurement and units

  • A measure of the levels of greenhouse gases produced by using electricity, transport and heating.
  • Units - tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum.
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Carbon footprint of foods

  • Food production processes that release greenhouse gases:
    • Growing.
    • Processing.
    • Packaging.
    • Transportation.
    • Selling.
    • Consumption.
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Reducing the size of a carbon footprint

  • Go to the supermarket via public transport or on foot/bike.
  • Purchase seasonal foods where possible.
  • Purchase local foods where possible.
  • Purchase food with little/no packaging.
  • Use less energy at home (e.g. have a colder shower, wear a jumper instead of turning the heating on, turn off lights or appliances on unnecessarily).

Jump to other topics

1Food Preparation Skills

2Food, Nutrition & Health

3Food Science

4Food Safety

5Food Choice

6Food Provenance

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