Food Miles Introduced

Overview

This 45-minute lesson is designed for Year 2 students within the Geography National Curriculum. It is the sixth lesson in the 12-lesson unit titled "Food Origins Exploration." Through engaging, hands-on activities and age-appropriate discussion, students will understand the concept of food miles — the distance food travels from farm to table — and begin to appreciate its environmental impact.

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National Curriculum Links

• Key Stage 1 Geography Programme of Study

  • Locational knowledge:
    • "Understand geographical similarities and differences through studying the human and physical geography of a small area of the United Kingdom..."
  • Human and physical geography:
    • "Identify seasonal and daily weather patterns in the United Kingdom."
  • Geographical skills and fieldwork:
    • "Use world maps, atlases and globes to identify the United Kingdom and its countries, as well as the countries, continents and oceans studied at this key stage."

• Cross-Curricular Links

  • Science: "Recognise that humans have an impact on the environment."
  • PSHE: "Consider how choices affect the environment."

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will be able to:

1. Define what “food miles” means in their own words.
2. Identify and describe how far common foods travel to reach their plates (local, national, international).
3. Understand and explain why food miles matter, focusing on environmental consequences such as pollution and carbon footprint.
4. Begin to think about making sustainable food choices based on food miles.

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Resources

• Large world map and UK map (wall-mounted or projector)
• Picture cards showing various foods (e.g., apples, bananas, rice, strawberries, fish) with origin labels
• Pre-prepared “Food miles” worksheets with simple map exercises and space to draw
• String or yarn to represent transport routes on the map
• Colour markers or crayons
• ‘Food miles’ impact images (cartoon-style, e.g. trucks emitting smoke, happy earth, sad earth)
• Whiteboard and markers
• Mini globe (optional)

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction & Starter (7 minutes)

• Engage: Begin by showing a picture of a meal plate (e.g., fruit salad or sandwich). Ask: "Where do you think this food has come from?"
• Use a globe/map to point to UK and other countries.
• Introduce the term “food miles” using simple language:
  "Food miles means how far the food travels to get to your plate." Write the term on the board.
• Show one example food (e.g., banana) and trace the route from a tropical country to the UK on the world map with string.

2. Main Activity - Food Miles Mapping (20 minutes)

• Activity: Split the class into small groups (3-4 pupils). Give each group a set of food picture cards.
• Pupils will place each food card on the UK map if locally sourced, or on the world map if imported. Then use string to connect the place of origin to the UK.
• Discuss distances and ask: "Which foods travel farthest? Which ones are local?"
• Use the worksheet for pupils to draw lines from food items to their origin and colour-code distances (e.g., green for local, red for far).
• Teacher models filling out a worksheet example for a strawberry (local) and a banana (imported).

3. Discussion and Environmental Impact (10 minutes)

• Bring pupils back together for a brief discussion about why food miles matter.
• Show cartoon images about impact: emissions from transport, pollution, and why shorter food journeys can be better for the planet.
• Prompt with questions:
  • "What happens if food travels a long way?"
  • "How can eating local food help the environment?"
• Encourage pupils to share ideas for choosing foods with fewer food miles.

4. Plenary & Assessment (8 minutes)

• Recap the meaning of “food miles” by asking pupils to explain in their own words.
• Quick quiz: show 3 foods, ask pupils to vote – does it have low, medium, or high food miles?
• Collect completed worksheets to assess understanding of food origins and distances.
• Ask each pupil to complete the sentence orally or on mini whiteboards:
  “Food miles tell us... (how far our food travels to get to us).”
• Praise all attempts and acknowledge new learning.

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Differentiation

• Support: Provide labelled picture cards and simple maps for pupils who need help tracing origins. Use peer support in groups.
• Challenge: Ask more able students to think about other environmental impacts or to suggest alternative food choices with lower food miles.

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Extension Ideas (Optional)

• Plan a simple “local food” tasting activity in a future lesson.
• Create a classroom “Food Miles” display with pictures and strings showing the origin of different foods they eat.

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Reflection for Teachers

• Check pupil engagement and understanding during the mapping activity and discussion.
• Were pupils able to explain food miles conceptually and practically?
• Could they link food miles to environmental impact in simple terms?
• Note any pupils requiring additional support or challenge for future lessons.

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This lesson provides a foundational and tangible understanding of food miles, fostering awareness of sustainability from an early age in alignment with the National Curriculum goals for Geography and environmental responsibility.