Local Food Miles Calculator

Food miles refer to the distance food travels from where it is produced to where it is consumed. The concept was introduced to highlight the environmental cost of transporting food, particularly by air freight or long-haul road over thousands of miles. Higher food miles generally mean a larger carbon footprint, though transport mode and food type also play a major role.

Air freight produces by far the most CO₂ per tonne-kilometre, estimated at around 0.602 kg CO₂ per tonne-km. Road transport (van/truck) is next at roughly 0.096 kg CO₂/tonne-km, followed by rail at about 0.028 kg CO₂/tonne-km. Sea freight is the most efficient, at approximately 0.016 kg CO₂/tonne-km, making it far greener for large shipments despite the longer distances.

Not always. While local food generally travels fewer miles, the emissions also depend heavily on how it was grown. For example, greenhouse-grown local tomatoes in a cold climate can have a higher carbon footprint than sun-grown tomatoes shipped by sea from a warmer country. This calculator focuses on the transport emissions component, which is just one part of a food's full lifecycle impact.

The calculator converts distance from miles to kilometres, converts food weight to tonnes, then multiplies distance (km) × weight (tonnes) × a CO₂ emission factor specific to the transport mode. The emission factors used are based on widely referenced freight transport averages: air (0.602), road (0.096), rail (0.028), and sea (0.016) kg CO₂ per tonne-km.

All CO₂ results in this calculator are expressed in kilograms of CO₂ equivalent (kg CO₂e). This is a standard measure used to quantify greenhouse gas emissions and allows easy comparison between different transport modes and distances.

Air freight emits approximately 37 times more CO₂ per tonne-kilometre than sea shipping. For example, flying 1 tonne of food 1,000 km produces around 602 kg CO₂, while shipping the same load the same distance by sea produces only about 16 kg CO₂. Choosing sea freight for internationally imported goods dramatically reduces emissions.

Yes. This calculator is transport-agnostic — you can use it for any food item such as fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, or packaged goods. Simply enter the weight of the food, the distance it travels, and the transport mode used. The results reflect the transport emissions for that specific journey regardless of the food type.

Because different transport modes have drastically different emission intensities. A food item shipped 5,000 km by sea may produce fewer emissions than one trucked 500 km by road, depending on quantities. The emission factor per tonne-km for air is nearly 38 times that of sea, so a short air freight journey can easily dwarf a long sea voyage in terms of CO₂ output.