Grow your own. There are no transportation costs for your food to reach you, no waste packaging, no polluting and dangerous pesticides, and, if grown using your own compost, then it is the ultimate form of recycling.

Buy local. Support outlets as close as possible to where your food is grown or made, such as farm shops, farmers' markets, box schemes, local grocers and health food stores. Your food will have traveled fewer miles to reach you, costing less in terms of pollution, and you will know you are getting food you can trust. In addition, they are likely to be small businesses in need of your support.

Buy certified organic produce. This way you know your food has been produced with the utmost care and attention being paid to its environmental impact and you will be sure that it has met stringent legal standards.

Buy unusual varieties. You will be encouraging biodiversity and signaling to retailers and growers that there is a market for more than just Granny Smiths and Golden Delicious, for example.

Buy loose. Avoid all the packaging that comes with your food by buying it loose - and not just fruits and vegetables. Look for bulk bins of rice, beans and pulses, dried herbs and spices, nuts and grains, most commonly found in healthfood stores. If you cannot find it loose then choose a brand with as little packaging as possible, preferably one that uses recycled and biodegradable packaging materials.

Wise up on labels. Learn to spot ingredients that are likely to have been genetically modified, look for organic certifying marks or numbers, and look for country of origin and local producer information. Avoid generic, mass-produced, poorly labeled, non-organic products.

Buy and eat seasonally. By doing so you will be sending a message to retailers and growers that it is not necessary to fly strawberries around the world in winter and you will be discouraging the use of energy-guzzling hothouses to grow summer fruits in winter.

Keep processing to a minimum. Look for food as close to its natural state as possible, without the addition of colorings, preservatives, flavor enhancers, bulking agents and so on, which has not been through many stages of manufacture. And at home, eat as much raw food and do as much home cooking as possible rather than buying pre-prepared and cooked food.

Eat low on the food chain. It takes less input and energy to produce grains, fruit and vegetables than it does meat and fish, and of the meats it takes less grain and water to produce pork or chicken than it does beef, for example. By mainly eating a meat-free diet you are opting for the most energy-efficient diet.

Support your local and national organic and green organizations. They are working to guarantee you a supply of good-quality food produced in a sustainable way. They will keep you updated on availability, campaigns and threats to your right to choose.