The average Sunday dinner ingredients can travel over 40,000 Kilometres to arrive on your plate. 

Buying local food will help reduce the amount of carbon used in transporting produce to your plate.

Here is an example of 2 simple lunches.

    

1.   Locally sourced Sunday lunch
 1.5Kg of local lamb - 30Km by light van, carbon footprint - 0.072Kg
 1Kg of local potatoes - 30Km by light van, carbon footprint - 0.048Kg
 500g of local leeks - 30Km by light van, carbon footprint - 0.024Kg
 500g of local carrots - 30Km by light van, carbon footprint - 0.024Kg

Total distance to your plate 120Km, and 0.168Kg of carbon dioxide.

     

2.   Supermarket Sunday lunch
1.5Kg of New Zealand lamb - 32000Km by sea and 300Km by HGV, carbon footprint - 0.858Kg
1Kg of Potatoes - 300Km by HGV, carbon footprint - 0.048Kg
200g of green beans from Kenya - 6800Km by air and 300Km by HGV, carbon footprint - 2.186Kg
500g of carrots - 300Km by HGV,  carbon footprint - 0.024 Kg

Total distance to your plate 40000Km, and 3.12Kg of carbon dioxide.

By adding some Danish bacon for breakfast, some fruit from South America and a light supper with a bottle of Australian wine your food's carbon footprint could exceed 5Kg of carbon dioxide.  If all your food is brought to your plate this way your Food footprint could well exceed your annual Electrical footprint. 

5Kg of carbon dioxide equates to 2525 litres and is same generated by driving an average (1800cc) petrol car for 25Km.