Food Is Transported Thousands of Miles from the Farm to the Market. Is It a Positive or Negative Trend?

KEY TO IELTS ESSAY ON 3rd, DECEMBER, 2011

Food is transported thousands of miles from the farm to the market. Is it a positive or negative trend?

We all need food to survive. It is thought that with the domination of cutting-edge technology, such as airplane, food is accessible to everywhere while others see it as a danger, rather than a boon. I totally support the mobile trend in food distribution.

First of all, opponents of this tendency argue that the spread of food to far-away places is cost-ineffective. Such fees related to gasoline, transportation delivery, staff management and other types of insurance are way beyond the pocket of suppliers. However, economically, it bestows upon both producers and consumers more noticeable benefits. Due to the scarcity of food in some areas, as a result of frozen or extremely scorching weather, crop failures are predictable, leading to a sky-rocketing price. Hence, with the in-time delivery from other zones which are available in this type of needed food, the prices can be curbed and their taste is fully satisfied while businessmen who truly prioritize the demand of customers over others gain a huge amount of profit. Besides, as living standards of human escalates non-stop, their need for varied food, from eastern to western, is more urgent than ever, especially in times of globalization. As there goes a saying “variety is the spice of life”, food transported from thousands of miles away from its farm is inevitable.

The second disadvantage of this trend is believed to trigger the inability to control the quality of food and growing dependence of each nation. The past has shown that Rome, as a consequence of relying on food chain supply of other nations, ever saw its power going into steep decline whereas the task of far-distance distribution can hardly ensure the thorough examination between suppliers and buyers, and trigger unwanted virus damaging the food. Nevertheless, gone are the days that food was easily...