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Food Miles Facts 

Food miles - They describe how far food travels from the farmer who produces it to the consumer who eats it. That includes the journey from farm to processor, then from processor to retailer and finally from retailer to consumer. It includes travel within the UK as well as between countries.Transporting food large distances, whether it travels by lorry or plane, generates significant carbon dioxide emissions, which lead to climate change. In addition, the further food has to travel, the longer it spends in transit meaning vitamins are lost and nutritional values inevitably decline.

Facts:

  • Food transport for UK consumption accounts for around 30 billion kilometres of vehicle travel every year and accounts for around 25% of all mileage clocked up by lorries in the UK.
  • UK food transport is responsible for around 19 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year.  This represented 1.8 percent of the total annual UK CO2 emissions.
  • Transport of food by air has the highest CO2 emissions per mile and is the fastest growing mode of transportation. Although air freight of food accounts for only 1% of the miles travelled, it produces 11% of all CO2 emissions from food transportation.
  • The average UK family spend £189 every year on fuel visiting the supermarket to do their weekly shopping.
  • Many food products are shipped to the UK despite identical varieties of fruit and vegetables being available from UK farmers.
  • Around half of all vegetables and 95% of all fruit consumed in the United Kingdom are produced overseas.
  • The amount of food air-freighted around the world has risen by 140% since 1992.
  • The average number of miles travelled from farmer to plate for all vegetables for local produce and those conventionally sourced are 56 miles and 1,494 miles respectively.