Environmental Science: Food Systems and Food Miles Worksheet

Question 1

Define the term food system in your own words. Include at least three parts of a food system in your definition.

Accepted Answer

A food system is the network of steps that brings food from farms or fisheries to people. It can include growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, transporting, selling, eating, and disposing of food waste.

Question 2

A carton of strawberries travels 45 miles from a local farm to a farmers market. Another carton travels 1,250 miles from a distant farm to a supermarket. How many more food miles does the distant carton travel?

Accepted Answer

The distant carton travels 1,205 more food miles because 1,250 minus 45 equals 1,205.

Question 3

Look at the food system diagram. Put these steps in the correct order: grocery store, processing plant, farm, home kitchen, truck transportation.

Accepted Answer

A reasonable order is farm, truck transportation, processing plant, truck transportation, grocery store, and home kitchen. Some foods may skip the processing plant, but this order shows a common food system path.

Question 4

Explain why food miles can be useful when comparing two foods, but may not tell the whole environmental story.

Accepted Answer

Food miles are useful because they show how far food traveled, which can affect fuel use and emissions. They do not tell the whole story because farming methods, packaging, refrigeration, food waste, and transportation type also affect the environment.

Question 5

A truck carries 2,000 kilograms of apples for 300 miles. A small van carries 100 kilograms of apples for 80 miles. Which trip has more total food miles if total food miles are calculated as kilograms multiplied by miles?

Accepted Answer

The truck trip has more total food miles. The truck trip is 2,000 times 300, which equals 600,000 kilogram-miles, while the van trip is 100 times 80, which equals 8,000 kilogram-miles.

Question 6

The chart shows four foods and the distance each traveled to reach a school cafeteria. Which food has the lowest food miles, and which has the highest?

Accepted Answer

The food with the lowest number on the chart has the lowest food miles, and the food with the highest number has the highest food miles. Students should identify the specific foods by reading the chart values.

Question 7

A school wants to reduce the environmental impact of its lunches. List two actions the school could take related to food systems or food miles.

Accepted Answer

The school could buy more seasonal foods from nearby farms and reduce food waste by tracking what students throw away. It could also choose foods with less packaging or plan menus around plant-based options more often.

Question 8

Why might a locally grown tomato in summer have a lower environmental impact than a tomato shipped from far away in winter?

Accepted Answer

A locally grown summer tomato may need less transportation and may grow without heated greenhouses. A winter tomato from far away may require long-distance shipping, refrigeration, or energy-intensive growing conditions.

Question 9

A food label says the carrots were grown 20 miles away, washed at a facility 60 miles away, and then delivered 15 miles to the store. What is the total distance in this food journey?

Accepted Answer

The total distance is 95 miles because 20 plus 60 plus 15 equals 95.

Question 10

Examine the map showing two delivery routes for bread. Route A is 50 miles. Route B is 85 miles but delivers to five stores instead of one. Explain one reason Route B might still be efficient.

Accepted Answer

Route B might be efficient because one trip delivers bread to five stores. Even though the route is longer, it may use less fuel than making five separate shorter trips.

Question 11

Some foods travel by airplane, ship, train, or truck. Explain why the type of transportation matters for environmental impact.

Accepted Answer

The type of transportation matters because different vehicles use different amounts of fuel and release different amounts of pollution. Airplanes usually have high emissions per kilogram of food, while ships and trains can be more efficient for large loads.

Question 12

The diagram shows a hamburger with ingredients from different places: beef 600 miles, lettuce 40 miles, tomato 200 miles, bun 90 miles, and cheese 150 miles. Which ingredient has the greatest food miles, and what is the total listed distance for all ingredients?

Accepted Answer

The beef has the greatest food miles at 600 miles. The total listed distance is 1,080 miles because 600 plus 40 plus 200 plus 90 plus 150 equals 1,080.

Question 13

Describe one environmental benefit and one possible challenge of buying food from a local farmers market.

Accepted Answer

One environmental benefit is that local food may travel fewer miles and use less transportation fuel. One challenge is that the farmers market may have fewer food choices, especially when certain crops are out of season.

Question 14

A family throws away one-fourth of a bag of salad that traveled 700 miles. Explain why food waste increases the environmental impact of food miles.

Accepted Answer

Food waste increases environmental impact because the fuel, water, land, labor, packaging, and transportation used for the wasted food did not provide nutrition to anyone. The 700-mile trip still caused impacts even though part of the salad was thrown away.

Question 15

Create a simple plan for one meal that lowers food miles or reduces food system impact. Name the meal and explain two choices you made.

Accepted Answer

A strong answer names a meal and explains two choices, such as using local seasonal vegetables and reducing packaging by buying in bulk. The plan should connect the food choices to lower transportation, less waste, or fewer resources used.

Environmental Science: Food Systems and Food Miles

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