A widely heated debate regarding whether the merits of imported food outweigh the demerits has received accumulating attention from the public. As for my perspective, I am in favor of this statement and the reasons will be thouroughly elaborated on as follows.
An array of factors may lead to why people think that the disadvantages of imported food outweigh the advantages. To begin with, grocerirs imported from other countries may threaten the local food industry due to more choices of food for customers. According to a study conducted by National Taiwan University, in 2005, 30% more food was imported from other countries compared to 2004, causing 18% drop of local food sales and the increase of unemployment rate even raised for around 6%. Moreover, environmental issues can be caused owing to the carbon footprint made during the transportation. In other words, more greenhouse gases will be made if more food is imported due to the exhaust of transportations.
On the contrary, the advantages of imported food totally surpass the drawbacks. First of all, costumers will have much more diverse options on food, which also make the local food makers to be more competitive and produce food with better quality. To be more specific, more imported food not only means more choices for people but also more competitors in the food sector, elevating the overall quality of food. Secondly, food supply can be much more stable due to the extra suppliers from other countries, especially in emergency situations. For instance, during pandemic, local farmers and food makers will not be able to make enough food due to harsh conditions and policies; however, with the aid of imported food, the significant stress on local grocery suppliers can be alleviate.
In conclusion, the benefits of imported food may exceed the adverse effects due to more food options and more stabled food supply.