Advantages
- transports of food (esp.) over long distance
=> local food solve problems for env and health
env:
. reason: released colossal amount of carbon dioxide by planes, ships, etc.
. result: ozone layer is detrimentally affected, damages, sea animals are threatened by
oil spills
health:
. reason: food are transported - a long distance => a huge amount of time
. result: some part of the transported food may be spoiled
=> some retailers use additives to maintain the favorable flavours
=> it can detriment the consumers’ health
Disadvantages
- limit the range of food selection
. reason: the local weather patterns may be only suitable for certain type of plants and
animals
. result: the kinds of food produced are limited
. example: durians and other tropical fruits in Vietnam and Thailand are exported to the
Western countries (when these fruits are not indigenous) => citizens here have a wider
choice of deserts and can try the specialties from these countries
- face with the problems of food shortage
. facts: some regions are suffering severe lack of food
. reasons: political affairs or unexpected climatic changes
. hypothesis: if merely rely on local food production => not enough amount of food
. comparison: shipping of food vs allocate food to these places
In the recent decades, there have been a lot of controversial arguments when it comes to food transporting. It is believed that consuming local food should be prioritized due to its financial and environmental benefits. From my perspective, I believe that the drawbacks of this trend would eclipse its benefits.
To commence with, there are certain compelling arguments to contend that eating local food offers a host of favorable impacts. It is undeniable that the use of local agricultural products would be more eco-friendly since the amount of noxious gases released during transportation and delivery is dramatically reduced. In fact, such modern vehicles used to ship food as planes, trains, trucks and so forth emit a colossal quantity of toxic gas, which exacerbates the air quality of cities. Moreover, due to the huge amount of time wasted during shipping, some kinds of food may be spoiled. By contrast, locally-grown food would enhance consumers’ physical well-being as they may consume less preservatives or additives.
On the other hand, there co-exist a plethora of demerits of eating domestic products which far override the benefits. Firstly, locally-grown products offers a limited range of sustenance. As local conditions are only suitable for certain species, the locals are confined to none other than their typical food without much diet variation. Therefore, importing some more delicacies is likely to be a must so as to enrich the locals’ food selection. For instance, Vietnam and Thailand are host countries specializing in exporting tropical fruits such as durians and rambutans to Western countries in order that their counterparts will also have a chance to taste such local delicacies. Secondly, there exists a myriad of famine-stricken areas due to political affairs or potential climate changes. Were these areas to take the local products as the sole food source, they would probably face starvation. Therefore, importing food to such places is deemed crucial as it more or less helps to alleviate food constraints.
In conclusion, although no denial can be issued of the benefits that local agricultural products bring, the downsides are far more significant.
Vocabulary highlight
- noxious: poisonous and very harmful
- emit: to send out noise, smell…
- preservative: a chemical used to stop food from decaying
- additive: substance added to food to improve taste or appearance
- sustenance: food
- delicacy: something especially rare or expensive that is good to eat
- famine-stricken: suffering severely from famine
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