Reducing your impact on the climate through food choices is not straight-forward.
There are also wider considerations when buying and eating food.
Social, economic as well as environmental considerations are not always captured when looking at carbon footprints of products.

However, there are simple correlations between carbon emissions and food choices.

Eating fresh unprocessed or lightly processed food and drink will generally mean that less energy has been used in its production.

ICE organisation’s research shows that processed food is more carbon intensive than freshly prepared food. We know that freshly prepared food is better for your health.

Fizzy drinks, tinned vegetables and pre-prepared meals will create a larger contribution to carbon emissions. They also create greater packaging and waste, which emits methane, also a contributor to climate change.

Eating fruit and vegetables when they are locally in season can be a positive choice, as they are unlikely to have been transported long distances or heated during production.

If food comes from a long way away it doesn’t necessarily mean it has big climate change effects. Long distance transportation of produce by boat (eg bananas and apples) has much lower climate change effects than transporting produce by air (eg many fresh flowers, very perishable fruit and vegetables).

Buying direct from producers is a good way to source fresh, seasonal produce and reduce packaging. Buying directly from the producer also means you can ask them how their food was produced.

Here are the Government advice pages.

Here is an excellent guideline for reducing your impact on the environment with your food habits.
 

Meat and Dairy

A heavy meat and dairy diet is more energy intensive, generally (although there are some exceptions), than a lower meat/dairy diet. But a vegetarian’s meat replacements (soya for example) can be as energy intensive as meat.
Watching your dairy consumption is as important as meat consumption.

On balance eating less meat of greater quality (both animal welfare and environmental impacts) is a better option than high quantities of lower quality and factory-processed meat.

Fish

76 per cent of the world’s fish stocks are fully exploited, over exploited or depleted.
Eating fish that has been sustainably sourced is very important way of protecting the environment.
Find out more here:

http://eng.msc.org/