Oscar Cheng (9) | Staff Reporter
Written May 2023
Further development in transportation and trade has allowed for growth in our diets. Despite being capable of producing nutritious food locally, importing food from other countries is a natural occurrence. Global diets benefit both consumers and producers in that the consumers satisfy their stomachs while the producers satisfy their wallets.
The produce sold at local markets is typically the freshest products will ever get. Products in peak season will taste amazing and offer favourable prices, despite the fact that only during specific times can some agricultural products be sold. This means that during the off-peak season, the prices would inflate and availability would decline. As a result, a local diet is limited to in-season products.
Eating a local diet has shown benefits in terms of sustaining local farmers and maintaining nearby greenbelts. However, it cannot be assumed that purchasing local produce always contributes to sustainability. Factors such as cost of operation, carbon footprint and resource inflation, render the sustainability of local produce inconsistent.
Despite some products coming halfway around the world, modern technology can keep them fresh for longer periods of time. Advances in technology have given people access to many more food products without needing to worry as much about on and off-peak seasons.
Thanks to the variety of food accessible, there are more sources of essential nutrients. Oranges are a popular fruit that can only grow under particular environmental conditions, so this staple is a commonly imported product. Global diets limit food waste by reducing the need to purchase in bulk and worry about preserving since most products are available year-round.
Through international trade, countries can supply themselves with what they need and help other countries by giving what they need. Global diets influence trade between countries as it increases demand for a variety of food products. Growing the economy of another country increases the possibilities and probability of that country purchasing goods and services from the country that initially helped them.
As the world is now moving through a post-pandemic era, importing and exporting food products have begun to increase. This is a sign that although eating locally is great for the community, it’s time to start thinking about caring for the global community.
