Big bite out of the planet

Our relationship with food is not just about nutrition. We derive a great deal of sensory pleasure from eating, and sharing mealtimes can be fun and strengthen social bonds. Some of us enjoy the creativity of cooking, while others may find it a chore.

Most of us eat at least three times a day, and spend a big chunk of our income on food. But our dietary choices don't just have a huge impact on our personal health. They also have a huge impact on the health of the planet.

To reduce the energy used in transportation, you should buy locally grown or produced food. This is also likely to be fresher, with more vitamins.

Organic food will give you fewer pesticide residues and you'll be encouraging wildlife-friendly farming, while if you buy fair trade, more of your money goes to the growers, often in poorer developing countries.

Whether you buy local, organic or fair trade, if you eat meat or dairy, your footprint will be much larger than if you are vegetarian or vegan. This is because most farmed animals consume vast amounts of grain and other crops, which usually need fertilisers, irrigation, harvesting, transporting and processing.

The beasts themselves need lots of water - in life and in the abattoir. During their lives, they excrete most of what they eat, and this waste needs treatment and may cause pollution. Cattle emit huge volumes of methane, a powerful global warming gas. If we all ate less meat and dairy, we'd be able to feed more people on less land.

When food shopping, it's important to do so carefully. Use a list and stick to it. Impulse buyers often waste more food.

However, all food waste can be recycled, with the raw fruit and vegetable materials most easily home composted. Experienced composters can also recycle processed meat and dairy, and some local authorities offer food waste collections.

I often wonder why cookery programmes are so popular when more of us are resorting to over-packaged, over-pro­cessed ready meals? Bring back domestic science in schools, I say!