HOW DOES YOUR

FOOD GET TO

YOUR PLATE?

TRAVELLING FOODGuess: How many miles on average does it

take for produce to get from where it’s grown

to the grocery store?

Answer: 1500 miles!

AN EXAMPLE: On the island of Maui in Hawaii there is a large sugar

cane field, and across the street, there is a factory that gets the sugar cane ready to be made into sugar. From there, the sugar cane is shipped to California and made into the refined white sugar everyone knows. Then, this sugar is shipped to New York to get put into the little packets you find in restaurants. Finally, the sugar is shipped out to the rest of the world.

This means that if you went to a café 10 miles away from the sugar cane fields in Hawaii, the sugar packets you use would have travelled about 10,000 miles.

SOME FACTS An average American meal contains food

grown in 5 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES!

Food typically spends about 14 DAYS

traveling to get to your supermarket.

SO WHAT? The more miles food travels, the more gas it

uses! This means food that is shipped from far away contributes to air pollution

The Good news: If you get “local” fruits and vegetables, or grow them yourself, you help save the environment!

Also, if you buy fruits and vegetables that are in season, they will be fresher, better for you, and probably won’t have to travel as far!

LOCAL FOODS Foods grown in Florida during the summer:

Apples

Beets

Carrots

Grapes

Green Beans

Herbs

Apricots

FOODS WE ARE HAVING

TODAYGala Apples: New Zealand

Watermelon: USA, Florida

Bell Pepper: Mexico

Bosc Pear: Argentina

Cucumbers: USA, Florida