Food Miles Calculator
Calculate the carbon footprint and transport emissions of your food based on where it was grown or produced and how far it traveled to reach you.
What Are Food Miles?
Food miles measure the distance food travels from farm to table. A tomato grown locally may travel 50 miles. That same tomato shipped from overseas may travel 5,000 miles. The distance matters for carbon emissions — but so does how the food is transported.
Carbon Intensity by Transport Mode These are approximate CO2 emissions per tonne-mile:
- Truck (road freight): ~0.161 kg CO2 per tonne-mile
- Rail (freight train): ~0.0263 kg CO2 per tonne-mile
- Ship (ocean freight): ~0.0229 kg CO2 per tonne-mile
- Air freight: ~1.02 kg CO2 per tonne-mile
Air freight is dramatically more carbon-intensive than shipping by sea — about 44 times more. Rail and ship are the most efficient options for long distances.
The Formula Weight in tonnes = food weight (lbs) × 0.000453592 CO2 emissions (kg) = distance × weight_tonnes × carbon_intensity × 1000
The local alternative assumes truck transport for short distances.
Perspective: Car Equivalent An average car emits approximately 0.404 kg of CO2 per mile driven. The calculator shows you how many miles of driving your food transport is equivalent to.
Important Note Transport is only one part of a food product’s carbon footprint. Livestock, rice cultivation, and food processing often generate far more CO2 than transport. However, buying local also supports local farmers and reduces other supply chain impacts.