Buying Power: Food
What are food miles? Food for thought
How far does the average Christmas dinner travel before it reaches your plate?
What is the answer?
Click the correct picture to find out.
The travels of a strawberry
Follow this strawberry’s journey to find out how it may reach your kitchen.
- Download the diagram of the Journey of a strawberry.
These strawberries have travelled many miles. Why do you think many people may be concerned about this? Discuss your ideas with a partner and share your ideas with the class.
The journey of a fish
Download this map of the UK .
Using the information given in the table below, can you plot the route of the fish from the North Sea to your dinner plate?
Use the map to plot the information below and work out the distance travelled for each part of the journey.
| What has happened? | Where has this happened? |
| The mackerel is caught by a fisherman | The North Sea, off the east coast of Scotland |
| The fisherman takes it to market | Aberdeen, Scotland |
| The buyer sends the fish by aeroplane to China, where it is processed. | Shanghai, China (from Aberdeen to Shanghai is 8855 km) |
| The Chinese factory sends the fish by aeroplane back to the UK, where it is bought by a supermarket chain in your local area | Sent by plane to London, England and then sent by lorry to your nearest town. |
| You buy the mackerel from the supermarket in your local town and take it home for dinner. | Your house! |
- How many kilometres has the fish travelled from the sea to your plate? Use the given scale to calculate the answer to the nearest kilometre.
- But that’s not all! This may be the distance the fish has travelled, but can you think of any other ways that energy has been used in getting the fish to you? (think about before the fish was caught and after you ate it too!).
