The food and drink we buy has a massive impact on the world around us. From the carbon created by transporting goods half way round the planet, to the working conditions of farmers, what we consume has a huge affect on the state of the environment.

95% of the fruit and 50% of the vegetables bought in the UK are imported; meaning that your five-a-day are creating a huge carbon cloud. Add to this the bread, meat, fish, drinks and food seasoning you use everyday and it’s easy to see why 30% of the vehicles on our roads are currently transporting food.

All of this means one thing: food miles. This is the term used to measure the distance your food has travelled from its original to your plate. If you buy your strawberries from the farm 5 miles down the road, then this distance is 5 miles. If you buy your strawberries from the supermarket it’s very likely they’ve been shipped in from the Canaries, America or even further afield, and this means they’ve accrued thousands of food miles. All of these miles (whether by car, train, boat or plane) have contributed carbon to the atmosphere; increasing the effect of climate change. It’s the equivalent of loading up your car boot up with local produce, driving around for three days and then eating the food – it just doesn’t make sense!

But what does buying local produce mean in real terms and is it really that easy? The truth is that your local supermarket is unlikely to stock local food. You may find some regional goods available, but these tend to carry a speciality label and come with an even more speciality price tag. Supermarkets can source food more easily, cheaply and in much higher quantities from abroad than they can from local suppliers, and this is why they choose not to bother. But the good news is that local food isn't as far away as you think. Click here to find your nearest suppliers, or fill in your details at the end of this article for more information.

The other issue with buying local is that your choices are then limited to what’s available in this country and at the particular time of year. Forget ever-present strawberries and perfect asparagus whatever the season, if you buy local your choices will be limited to what’s available in British soil.

But that doesn’t mean that you will be stuck for ideas. Look for fresh scallops, squash and shallots in January; go for cherries, cauliflower and rhubarb in May, and November brings a load of winter warmers with chestnuts, parsnips and grouse all ready for the oven. Have a look at the BBC Guide for more ideas on what to buy and when.

Eating local food means fresh produce, with a better taste and a greater nutritional value. It means your food hasn’t been driven round in a large truck for the past two days, to be stocked on a supermarket shelf for another 24 hours before you finally get to it three days after its best.

But buying local produce also means so much more. Here are our top 5 reasons to start eating the grub available in your area:

1) Animal welfare. It’s much cheaper for suppliers to transport live animals rather than pay for refrigerated lorries to move the carcasses. There is also a growing trend for large, centralised abattoirs, meaning that animals are more commonly transported and shipped in terribly cramped conditions. Buying locally, especially if the animals are slaughtered on site, means the creatures aren’t subjected to this treatment and generally live a much happier and healthier life.

2) Packaging. When transporting food thousands of miles a major concern is how to keep the produce fresh and undamaged. This leads to layers of cellophane, tons of plastic and heaps of cardboard. Very little of this is recycled and even more waste is contributed to our landfills and left to rot. Local produce doesn’t incur this packing cost and you can often take you goods home in reusable or recyclable containers.

3) Our farmers. British farmers are finding it impossible to compete with the economies of scale offered by supermarkets. Half of the UK's dairy farmers have left the industry since 1995 and many more producers of local food may soon go out of business. Buying local supports your community and the businesses around your home.

4) Protect your open spaces. Local food is grown on local land and, whether that’s animals or plants, this land is going to be green. Supporting your local food suppliers means that you’re also preserving rural areas for generations to come.

5) It’s easier that you think! You can’t buy local because there aren’t any suppliers in your area, right? Wrong. We've teamed up with BigBarn to help you find local goods more easily. Use the search box below to find food and drink suppliers near to your home.

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