Year 6 - Geography
The distance food travels
Farms and factories: where does our food come from?
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit explores how food is produced and distributed, both locally and globally. Pupils investigate where different foods come from, how diets are changing, and what environmental and social factors shape food production and supply.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain what food miles are and analyse the positive and negative impacts of both locally produced and imported food.
Key Notes
- All food has to travel to reach our plates and the distance it travels is known as food miles.
- The total food miles will depend on the different stages and route of a food's journey.
- Maps or the internet can be used to calculate the approximate food miles of different food products.
- There is debate about the relative positive and negative consequences of sourcing food locally versus importing it.
Vocabulary To Learn
- exported: Goods that are exported are sent out to another country
- carbon footprint: A carbon footprint is a measure of the total amount of greenhouses gases that are released as a result of our actions
- greenhouse gas emissions: Greenhouse gas emissions are the release of gases into Earth's atmosphere that trap heat and contribute to climate change
- food miles: Food miles measure the distance between where a food is grown or made to where it is eaten
- intensive farming: Intensive agriculture is farming that uses more machines, workers and chemicals so that as many crops or animals as possible can be farmed on the space available
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- All food has the same carbon footprint.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this geography topic using two clear key points.
All food has to travel to reach our plates and the distance it travels is known as food miles. The total food miles will depend on the different stages and route of a food's journey.
2. Define this geography term and use it in an example. 'exported'
Goods that are exported are sent out to another country.
3. Correct this common geography misunderstanding.
Mistake: All food has the same carbon footprint. Correction: Meat and dairy products have a higher carbon footprint than most fruit or vegetables.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 6 Geography guide library.