Many foods are shipped from far away. Some people think that eating local food is more beneficial both environmentally and economically. Do you think the advantages outweigh its disadvantages?

Exporting and consuming the imported

food

has become a global trend. While

Food

trade is a profitable business, few people argues that consuming local

food

is more beneficial for environment and economy. In

this

essay, I will discuss both advantages and disadvantages of both versions of the argument and will present my view of the latter. On one hand, some people argue that relying on imported meal will help to address the demand for supply of

food

. While it is true that importing

food

saves a lot of time,

thus

easing the entire supply chain mechanism, there are high chances of putting health at risk. Foods are often perishable goods and to improve the life of the meal, exporters use a variety of preservatives while packaging the

food

. These foods, when consumed, will have a wide range of impact on the digestive system of the consumers.

This

practice may be suitable for some countries with geographical disadvantages where they may not have enough land to cultivate and produce their own feed.

For example

, Singapore has a very limited scope for farming and

hence

this

country completely relies on its neighbouring countries for supply of

food

.

On the other hand

, I would argue that consuming local cuisine has a great range of benefits.

First

and foremost, locally produced

food

is available at a very affordable price and they are often nutritious as it doesn’t take much time to reach the consumers.

Also

, consuming the local

food

will generate a demand for supply and

this

will help uplift the related industries like agriculture, farming, local

food

trade businesses. If

food

is produced in abundance, it can be monetized by exporting to other countries. In a nutshell, after taking all the above points into consideration, I firmly believe that consuming local

food

has a clear edge over importing

food

and the advantages outweigh the disadvantages at scale