The Bishop of Chichester has urged shoppers to go green and buy local produce.
The Right Reverend John Hind, who oversees all Sussex parishes, said there was a Christian obligation to support local growers and environmentally-friendly producers.
Bishop Hind said the imagery of spring and Easter was that of the natural world and its farmers, who played an important role in the social and economic life of Sussex but who were facing serious threats from factors such as cheap imports, BSE and bird flu.
Bishop Hind said: "The overall effect is to demoralise people on whom the rest of us rely for our daily bread.
"There are people for whom cheap food is the only option. For all those who have choices, however, there is a Christian obligation to support local growers, environmentally-friendly producers and those in whose production methods we can be confident.
"This is not a political argument but a theological argument arising from Gods wonderful creation."
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