More About Food Miles

Some Fun facts about our Food Miles Calculator*

In total the tool has been used 1691391 times.

Total distance calculated by the tool*: 6,438,461,608 miles.

That is approximately:
258781 times around the earth!
8,374.62 times to the moon and back!
100% of the way to the sun(done).
100% of the way to Jupiter! (done).
100% of the way to Saturn! (done).
100% of the way to Uranus! (done).
100% of the way to Neptune! (done).
100% of the way to Pluto! (done).
0.03% of the way to Alpha Centauri!

The average distance calculated is: 4171 miles

Food Miles Calculator Tag Cloud

This shows the most "tracked" items using the food miles calculator!

aabbcc acai almonds apple apples apricot apricots asparagus asparagus tips aubergine avacado avocado avocados baby carrots baby corn bacon baked beans banana bananas bananna banna bannana bannanas bannas basil basmati rice beans beef beer beetroot biscuits black pepper blackberries blackberry blue berries blueberries blueberry blueberrys brazil nuts bread brie broccoli brocoli brocolli brown sugar burger butter butternut squash cabbage cake cantaloupe carrot carrots cashew nuts cashews caster sugar cauliflower celery cereal cheddar cheese cheese cherries cherry cherry tomatoes chicken chilli chillies chips choclate chocolate chopped tomatoes chorizo cinnamon clementines coco coco beans cocoa cocoa beans coconut coconut milk coconuts cod coffe coffee coffee beans coke cookies coriander corn corned beef courgette couscous cranberries cream crisps cucumber cucumbers curly kale curry curry powder dates dragon fruit dried pasta edam cheese egg eggs feta cheese figs fine beans fish flour food french beans fruit garlic ginger grape grapefruit grapes green beans ham herbs honey hot chocolate ice cream iceberg lettuce jam kangaroo ketchup king prawns kiwi kiwi fruit lamb lasagne leek leeks lemon lemon juice lemons lentils lettuce lime limes lychee mandarins mange tout mangetout mango mangoes mangos maple syrup mayonnaise meat meatballs melon milk mince mint mozzarella mozzarella cheese mushroom mushrooms mustard nectarines new potatoes noodles nutella nuts oats oil olive olive oil olives onion onions orange orange juice oranges papaya paprika parsley parsnips passion fruit pasta peach peaches peanut butter peanuts pear pears peas pepper pepperoni peppers pesto pinapple pineapple pineapples pizza plantain plum plums pomegranate popcorn pork potato potatoe potatoes potatos prawns pringles quinoa radish raisins rasberries raspberries raspberry red grapes red pepper red peppers red wine rice rice noodles runner beans salad salad onions salami salmon salt sardines satsuma satsumas sausage sausages shrimp soup soy sauce spaghetti spices spinach spring onion spring onions star fruit steak strawberries strawberry strawberrys sugar sugar cane sugar snap peas suger sultanas sushi swede sweet corn sweet potato sweet potatoes sweetcorn sweets tea tea bags tinned tomatoes tomato tomato paste tomato puree tomato sauce tomatoe tomatoes tomatos tuna turkey vanilla vegemite vegetables water water melon watermelon wheat wine yam yeast yoghurt yogurt

Food Mile Considerations

Now that you have used our Food Miles Calculator you have a rough idea of how far the food has come to get to you.

This isn't however the whole story, there are many other factors to consider when you work out the environmental impact of your food.

Internal Travel

Remember, because our tool can only track items from capital to capital it doesn't give the whole story.

Country Of Origin

In the country of origin there a lot of things to consider, things like:

What products or treatments have been used to treat or grow the item? This would include any feeds etc for livestock and fertilisers for fruits and vegetables
Has the item been picked and shipped around prior to leaving the country?
How has the item been packaged and packed?

This has been highlighted in a fairly recent study by the Lincoln University in New Zealand where they proved that the overall environmental impact of NZ lamb was less than that of Welsh - including importing it to the UK. Report (PDF)

Destination Country

Food miles can be added to a product when it is in the final destination country. These include any internal movement of stock between distribution centres and supermarkets, travel to and from the point of purchase and even disposal of waste from the product!

Grow Your Own

An obvious answer to the food miles debate is of course to grow your own and keep the food mileage down to about 50ft! This isn't obviously the answer for all things as we don't all have a few acres spare to graze sheep etc.

Growing your own does have the added advantage of allowing you to track exactly what chemicals if any are used. Good for the planet and good for you.

Finally

The point here is that food miles are a very complicated thing, so the tool we have put together for you is only one part of the story. It can give a good indication of the miles your food has travelled to reach you and the carbon produced as a result.

In general, local food - that is locally produced and sold - is best, so buying this would normally be the safer option!

* since 17/03/09

This is not the full list - we have more, lesser tracked items here: Full Food Miles List