Trucking foods from the farm to your fridge burns fossil fuels. Locally grown edibles take less time to get to your plate, and so tend to be fresher and more nutritious. Local farmers count on your support to produce some of the healthiest foods possible.

However, “food miles” typically make up a relatively small percentage of the overall carbon footprint of food. How the food is grown makes up a much larger percentage, especially if synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are used. Conventional agricultural methods use chemicals that are made from fossil fuels, and they require a lot of energy to be produced and transported.

Organic foods are grown without pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge or genetically modification. They are not subjected to ionizing radiation, a process some manufacturers use to kill pathogens and prolong shelf life. Organic foods and beverages can be more nutritious, depending on the product. Organic milk, for example, has been proven to have less fat and contain more nutrients than conventional milk. Organic meat, poultry, eggs and dairy come from animals that are not fed antibiotics or growth hormones.

Products that are labelled as certified organic with the USDA need to prove that 95% of their ingredients are organic. In North America, Australia and most of Europe, organic certification is rigorous and part of government food inspection. Organic farms promote genetic biodiversity, create less water pollution and soil damage, and result in fewer poisonings of farm workers and less harm to wildlife.