Food travels in thousands of miles from farm to the consumers. Many people think eating food from local people would be beneficial to the environment and the economy. This trend 's advantages outweigh disadvantages? (approximately 250 words)

It is true that nowadays there are varieties of foods from different countries in all seasons thanks to modernization and globalization, but many people prefer to eat domestic

food

for environmental and economic reasons. While

this

trend can have some negative sides, I think its benefits are more significant. On the one hand, there are some limits to local

food

.

Firstly

, the consumer would have fewer options or a variety of foods because many types of fruits and vegetables customarily grow in certain regions and seasons due to climate and edaphic factors. A specific example of

this

could be durian which is a tropical fruit native to Southeast Asia, so local eating is not a feasible option for European or American and they only can enjoy imported durian from countries halfway distance around the world like Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia.

Secondly

, local

food

sometimes is more costly than imported foods due to all expenses of direct marketing and efficiencies required in order, and their regulations on quality are less stringent than imported foods which it is always controlled by the competent bodies of both exporting and importing countries.

For instance

, in Vietnam, the demand for pork is very high due to the outbreak of African swine fever and the COVID19, which causes the shortage of

this

type of meat in the domestic market and the need to stabilize lower prices, and

thus

Vietnam’s pork imports increased 300 per cent year-on-year in the

first

four months in 2020.

On the other hand

, despite some negative impacts, there are tremendous perks as well. The economic advantage of eating locally produced

food

is obvious, as it could boost the local economy. By choosing

food

grown locally, consumers help keep their money flowing within their locality, rather than sending it to international conglomerates.

This

not only helps national enterprises to compete with international brands, but it could

also

help the community itself as that same money could be reinvested in other local entities and contribute to the well-being of the local population. Another positive impact is environmental protection, the shorter distance travelled of local

food

in the domestic market can minimize the use of fuel and the emission of CO2 into the atmosphere. The same would happen with the packaging materials is required for transportation safety, which in turn uses many resources

such

as paper and plastic wrap for the integrity of the products travelled in long-distance between different countries, but if the local agricultural product is preferred for consumption, these problems can be largely reduced. In conclusion,

although

the

food

imported could offer a varied choice for consumers, local eating presents a good opportunity for those to help the environment and build a strong local community simultaneously.