Food Miles: What They Are, and Why They Matter

When you bite into a juicy tomato or crunch on a fresh lettuce leaf, have you ever wondered how far it travelled to reach your plate?

Welcome to the world of food miles — a simple concept with powerful implications for our planet, our health, and our communities. In this article, we’ll explain what food miles are, why they matter, and how growing your own food can be part of the solution.

What Are Food Miles?

Food miles refer to the distance food travels from where it’s grown or produced to where it’s ultimately consumed. This includes transportation by truck, ship, or plane, as well as the packaging, processing, and storage along the way.

In Australia, the average meal travels over 1,500 kilometres before it reaches your plate. That’s a long journey for a humble carrot.

Why Do Food Miles Matter?

All that transportation adds up. Trucks and planes burn fossil fuels, which contribute to:

• Greenhouse gas emissions

• Air pollution

• Climate change

There’s also the issue of freshness and nutrition. The longer food is in transit, the more its nutritional value and flavour can diminish. Long-distance food systems often rely on preservatives, refrigeration, and excessive packaging to keep produce looking good on shelves.

The Case for Growing Local

Here’s the good news: every tomato you grow at home is one that didn’t need to travel across the country to reach you.

When we grow food in our backyards, on balconies, or in community gardens, we reduce:

• The need for long-distance transport

• Plastic packaging

• Energy used for cold storage and refrigeration

And we gain:

• Fresher, tastier produce

• A stronger connection to the food we eat

• Knowledge and confidence in growing our own food

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Small Gardens, Big Impact

You don’t need a large block of land or a perfect green thumb to make a difference. Replacing even a few store-bought herbs or salad greens with homegrown ones can significantly reduce your household’s food miles.

With Eden, getting started is simple. Our gardening companion helps you plan, grow, and harvest with ease — no matter your experience level or available space. Eden also tracks your contributions to our community’s collective effort to cut emissions by growing locally.

Growing Together

Reducing food miles isn’t just good for the environment — it’s a step toward building stronger, more resilient communities. Imagine more fresh food growing in neighbourhoods, more people sharing their harvests, and more knowledge passed between gardeners of all skill levels.

This is the future Eden is helping to grow.

Join our Early Access program to start your journey toward a more sustainable, homegrown way of living.