n this day and age, importing food from different countries around the world has gained more popularity. This trend can bring about both benefits and drawbacks, which will be discussed in this essay. In my opinion, the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages.
To begin with, the import and export of food materials provide people with an opportunity to taste exotic foods and cuisines. Some fruits and vegetables can only be grown in specific regions, and the export and import business can provide people with a variety of food types in their daily diet. For example, kiwi fruit cannot be produced in India, but all Indians can still enjoy the fruit due to importing. Moreover, this trend allows developing countries to earn foreign exchange by selling their rare products to the world. It eventually helps those countries grow economically and guarantees national food security.
On the downside, the importing and exporting of food does have a few downsides. To start with, imported food is not always healthy. As those food materials have to be transported over long distances, they are preserved with the help of chemicals to increase their shelf life. These preservatives are sometimes carcinogenic and could cause abominable diseases. Thus, they are a potential threat to the health of the people. Moreover, vehicles such as planes and trucks release a large amount of greenhouse gases leading to environmental pollution.
In conclusion, although there are myriad of benefits of importing food from other nations, including offering wider choices to consumers and maintaining food security, its drawbacks, such as higher costs and serious effects on the environment, should not be overlooked.