Knowra Food miles Food miles Food miles measure the distance food travels from where it is produced to where it is consumed. They are used as one indicator of food-system impact, especially transport-related emissions.
Food supply chain : The network of activities and organizations that moves food from production through processing and distribution to consumption. Food miles describe one segment of this larger journey.
Air freight : The transport of goods by aircraft, typically faster and more emissions-intensive per unit of freight than shipping. A short air-freighted journey can emit more than a much longer sea journey.
Locavorism : A preference for eating food produced close to where it is consumed. Food miles provide a simple rationale often used to support this preference.
Food sovereignty : The right of peoples to define their own food systems and shape how food is produced and distributed. Shorter supply routes can support local control, though distance alone does not ensure sovereignty.
Food transportation : The movement of food between farms, processors, distributors, retailers, and consumers. Transport mode and distance determine much of the impact that food miles approximate.
Seasonality : The variation in the availability of foods across the year due to biological cycles and growing conditions. Seasonal local produce can differ in impact from distant produce grown out of season.
Food labeling : Information displayed on food packaging or at sale to describe a product and guide purchasing decisions. Origin labels can help estimate distance, though they rarely reveal a full environmental footprint.
Food security : A condition in which people have reliable access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. Reducing long-distance dependence can affect resilience, but local sourcing is not always sufficient.
Greenhouse gas emissions : Gases released into the atmosphere that trap heat, including carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Transport emissions are a common environmental impact inferred from food miles.
Greenhouse agriculture : Crop production in enclosed structures that control growing conditions, sometimes using substantial heating or lighting. Heated local greenhouses can outweigh the transport impact of field-grown imports.
Show all 21