The star of River Cottage fame said: "Excess food miles are a big, big problem. Research by groups such as Friends of the Earth identifies them as one of the most serious issues relating to the way food is sold today.

"High food mileage is one more miserable manifestation of the dumbing-down of our food culture and that’s why I heartily support the Farmers’ Weekly campaign to address the problem."

Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall said that by ferrying the vast majority of their stock over lengthy distances, retailers were "not only polluting our environment, but making a hefty contribution to the emissions which are wrecking our climate".

Source: FWi