Many supermarkets are selling more and more products that are imported from other countries instead of selling food that is locally sourced. What are the reasons for this? Is thus a positive or negative development?

Some feel that supermarkets today sell too many imported

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compared to the number of locally produced ones. In my opinion,

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is a result of changes in consumer tastes and it is

a

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apply

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negative overall. The main cause behind

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phenomenon is an exponential shift among consumers. Over the

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century advances in sea and air transport have allowed supermarkets to import

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from all over the world.

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, an individual living in New England can try exotic fruits like mangos and pomegranates that cannot normally be grown in a

four season

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four-season

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climate. Once a person tries a new food and enjoys it, they are more likely to sample other new fruits and vegetables. They

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recommend those foods to others and shifts in taste quickly become mainstream and irreversible.

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change is negative as it hurts local farmers and the environment. Local producers must now compete with large companies that source

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such

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as bananas at lower prices and undercut farmers. Consumers naturally buy the cheaper

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and the result is that local farmers often cannot survive without government subsidies or must close their operations.

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,

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development leads to greater consumption of fossil fuels. Imported

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allow consumers to shop out of season,

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eating asparagus

year round

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year-round

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, but

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requires shipping

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globally and increasing the burning of fossil fuels involved in transportation. In conclusion, though supermarkets now enable shoppers to have more varied palates,

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poses tremendous risks for local producers and the environment.

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, tariffs on imports should be high.