Buy locally grown & seasonal food

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Photo of a cardboard box of food on someone's doorstep

Eating more local and seasonal food is better for your health, better for the local economy and better for our planet. Let’s not forget it tastes better too!

Food is responsible for about a quarter of all global greenhouse gas emissions, and while we can’t stop eating, we can take some steps to reduce our food’s impact on the planet.

Almost a fifth of those emissions come from the supply chain – getting the food from farms to our homes. By choosing to eat more locally grown food, you can cut out most of that supply chain and, by buying local and seasonable food, you also save on processing, storage and transport from farm to fork.

At the moment almost 40% of the UK’s food comes from abroad, mainly the EU, South America and South-East Asia. For Oxford specifically, only 1% of the food we eat comes from local sources.

Initiatives like OxFarmToFork, led by Good Food Oxfordshire, aim to connect local institutions directly with local agroecological food producers, thereby enhancing the proportion of locally sourced food that’s better for the environment and local economy. Reducing ‘food miles’ is also key to cutting carbon emissions and OxFarmToFork is helping us achieve this.

The UK leads in sustainable food production—our milk, for example, has a carbon footprint 40% lower than the global average. While food miles matter, how food is produced and transported also affects its environmental impact. Knowing where your food comes from and how it’s made helps you make eco-friendly choices.

How to start: Check traffic light nutrition labels and swap processed food for fresh, locally grown, seasonal produce.

If you do one thing: Buy local to reduce your food miles and support local farms.

Next steps

Find out your diet’s carbon footprint: Use the BBC’s Climate Change Food Calculator to assess the environmental impact of your diet.
Find out what food is in season: Explore seasonal produce with the BBC Good Food Seasonal Calendar.
Find local food suppliers in Oxford: Discover local producers through Good Food Oxfordshire’s Local Supplier Directory.
Local markets in Oxfordshire: Visit farmers’ and community markets in Oxford and Oxfordshire for fresh, local produce. Find a list of markets on Good Food Oxfordshire's Farmers & Community Markets page.
Find a veg box scheme to deliver you fresh local vegetables: Consider subscribing to a veg box scheme for convenient access to seasonal produce. Good Food Oxfordshire provides information on Veg Box Schemes.