Food travels thousands of miles from producers to customers. Some people think it would be better for the environment and economy if people only eat the local food produced by farmers. To what extent do you agree or disagree? v.2

Edible fresh and packaged food products have to cover long distance to reach final consumer. Some people opine locally sourced food items should be consumed for an ecological and economical advantage. This essay mostly disagrees with the given view point and will explain reasons for the same. Firstly, as technological innovations has spur the growth rate of economies from agrarian to service oriented industries, our lifestyles are oriented to fast paced tracks, with limited time. So, the need of hour is to have processed foods as compared to local raw products. Economies of scale will further lower the cost of production and transportation. Additionally masses will have variety and lot more choices to select from. This will make market more competitive and less monopolized. For instance, recent study by Boston University, Sociology wing highlighted that there was 26% increase in people relocating other continents due to availability of local food items. Secondly, though major input costs include transportation, this would be minimized with the advent of “electronic vehicles” with high-efficiency. Furthermore, freshness of raw fruits and vegetables can be sustained with cold storages and transportation services. Also, economic progress is sustainable in long run when there is trade happening with equivalent demand and supply levels. For instance, as per a recent report released by ministry of commerce, government of India has made a positive correlation between major FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) companies higher sales net. Farmer’s income from where these companies source the raw material. To conclude, limitation in sourcing food supplies from local markets will only lead to limited market capability and fewer options to suits everyone’s taste.