It is sometimes argued that people are made merely to buy food stemming from local sources. In this essay, I will examine both the benefits and drawbacks of this argument.
On the one hand, it is understandable why some people are advised only to buy food sourced locally due to some advantages, the two most prominent being affordable and fresher food. The local farmers might cultivate their crops using available soil and not apply any advanced technical equipment to boost productivity so that they can lower the price of their products. When buying local commodities, customers don’t need to pay for the wholesalers and transport companies, they just pay for the producers, leading to the cost-effective price. Moreover, local food is often fresher since it is harvested closer to the time of purchase, which can enhance flavor and nutritional content. Unlike some food that can travel an average of numerous kilometers to the customers’ plates, local food serves higher freshness and quality. For example, apples sourced locally are sold in the air market after being picked directly from the trees, which taste sweeter and provide more vitamins.
On the other hand, buying only local food may pose some drawbacks including limited choices of food and lacked dietary diversity. Some foods, especially fruits, are limited to certain seasons. Therefore, customers don’t have many choices of food in a particular period of year. For instance, people cannot enjoy mangoes in the winter because this kind of fruit can be only cultivated and collected in the spring when mango trees can seize the warm weather to flourish and produce the best taste of mangoes. Additionally, relying only on local food may result in an unbalanced diet because certain nutrients or food groups are not locally available. For example, in some mountainous provinces in VietNam, where the climate and soil conditions are not suitable for growing rice plants, if the individuals living in these places depend on their local food, their bodies might lack of immense amount of carbohydrates, leading to a limited dietary diversity.
To conclude, there are both advantages and disadvantages when people merely buy food stemming from local sites, the former comprising cheaper prices and fresher flavor, while the latter includes limited options of food and lacked dietary diversity.