If, like me, you buy organic produce from supermarkets, take a look at the packaging. You may be surprised to see how far some of your food has had to travel before reaching your table. My fridge contains organic carrots from Spain and organic broccoli from Italy.

The average item of food in a supermarket (organic or otherwise) has traveled over 1000 miles and Granny Smiths apples fly nearly 14,000 miles from New Zealand!

Even food produced in the UK is traveling 50% further around the country than it did 15 years ago. This is primarily a product of supermarkets' centralised distribution systems which means food is transported to another area, only for much of it to return locally to be sold.

Not only does this seem at odds with the image many of us have when we think of organic food (that is, food produced by local farmers who are reducing the impact they are having on the local environment), it also means that huge amounts of energy are being expended moving food around.

Although the production (or lack of) of organic and other food in the UK is a concern for us, surely the countries that supply us must benefit? In many cases the answer is 'no'.

800 million people in the world do not have enough food to meet their basic nutritional needs. Yet, many of the countries in which these people live are dedicating more and more of their land to producing cash crops for export.

So, how do we find locally-produced food? One answer is to shop at farmers' markets. A farmers' market is one in which farmers, growers or producers from a defined local area are present in person to sell their own produce, direct to the public.

The National Association of Farmers' Markets promotes existing markets and assists in the formation of new ones.

BigBarn is a web site that can help you to find down local producers of fruit and vegetables, meat, game, fish, cheese and dairy products, drink, bakers' products and even nursery plants. By buying directly from the people who produce these items you are likely to pay less for better quality, assist local farmers and reduce food-related transport costs.

If you do visit a local supplier or have them deliver to you, why not offer to buy food for neighbours at the same time, further reducing the 'environmental cost' of your food?

What of the items that can not be grown locally? The situation is not straightforward. Relatively poor countries like St Lucia rely on food exports to bring in much needed revenue; however, much of this revenue is used to pay off foreign debt or to swell the coffers of multinational corporations. When we buy produce from abroad we should, wherever possible, ensure that it has been fairly traded. See the Fairtrade Foundation's site for more information.

What are your views on this subject? Should we be encouraging people to purchase locally-produced food? If so, how should we do this? Use our comments page to have your say.