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What we eat has a huge impact on our environment. Buying local, eating fresh and avoiding packaging are three easy ways to green your food.

Go local. A really good way of meeting these green food guidelines is to shop at a local farmers market. You’ll find deliciously cheap, fresh and healthy food from local suppliers and growers. Just remember to bring your own bags or trolley. Click here for a list of farmers markets in Victoria, or visit Cool Melbourne's event page.

Reduce animal products. Don't worry! We're not asking you to give up your favourite foods! Meat and dairy can be part of a healthy, sustainable diet, but just don't overdo it. Growing grains, vegetables and fruits uses only 5 per cent as many raw materials as meat production. Twenty pure vegetarians can be fed on the land needed to produce food for one meat eater. Sorry, but no matter how you look at it, the best environmental choice is to eat low on the food chain. 

Wherever you can choose organic. Organic farming uses no synthetic pesticides or fertilisers and focuses on the health of the soil, which, you will probably have already guessed, will also be better for you.

Avoid packaging on food where-ever and when-ever you can. Food packaging accounts for an enormous amount of waste. Try to choose foods with minimal packaging or at least with reusable or recyclable packaging.

Eat up! While we're on the subject of waste, food waste accounts for a large part of the waste that we produce. Try and avoid food waste by eating what's on your plate, using the veggies in the fridge, and not over-ordering. Sending food scraps to the compost heap instead of to landfill is also another great way to tackle food waste.
 
Buy sustainable seafood. Avoid long-living endangered species like Flake and Orange Roughy. The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) has a handy ‘Sustainable seafood guide’ with all the information you need about different species. Click here to download.