Currently, with the development of society, different kinds of cargoes can be transported worldwide. Therefore, there exists a widespread concern over the fact that food is transported thousands of miles from farms to clients . Some people believe that long-distance transport of food will bring benefits for producers and consumers. By contrast, others argue that long-distance transport of food will cause various problems. Personally, the advantages of this situation outweigh disadvantages for the following aspects.
To begin with, long-distance transport of food can help farms make more profits, which is beneficial to local economic growth. To be more precise, producers can not only sell food in the neighborhood areas, but can also promote food and its products to other cities and countries. Transportation of thousands of miles helps to open a wider market of the food products, which can improve the sales due to the larger amount of potential customers as well as raise the price of these food because of increasing popularity. Another contribution made by long-distance transport is that more job opportunities will be created. As the sales volumes increase, more labour is needed and more facilities are built, to care the farm crops, process the food products, package the delivery, and advertise goods. In return, achieving more profit enhances the industrialization of food production, which makes it possible to retain the freshness, taste and nutrients of the food after a long journey. Chains selling Snail Rice Noodles from Guangxi Province, which made from the unique local materials, not only help more than 30 million local residents with employment, but also reform the cities from poverty into an industrial and wealthy regions with more than 30 enterprises working on this which set up more than 5 hundred million physical stores all over the world.
Furthermore, long-distance transport of food make it possible for consumers to taste dishes from remote places and embrace different cultures .To be more precise, individuals who study abroad or work in other cities may feel homesick. Tasting the traditional dishes carried from hometown or desserts made by relatives can be a good solution to relieve the frustration and anxiety. Though with higher expenses of being transported, the regional food obtains more emotional value that consumers cherish. Another benefit is for customers who cannot go for a trip but want to experience the other regions’ food and ingredients. Long-distance transportation with the cold chain makes it affordable and widely available for residents to taste flavors from all over the world, and meanwhile to enjoy various kinds of cultures .For instance, in China, we can easily taste the food from over the sea, like coffee from Ethiopia, and desserts with Maple Syrup in Canada, accompanied with Stilton Cheese from Britain which provide a glimpse of local customs and culture of different nations.
Admittedly, long-distance transport of food may cause contamination. However, with the improvement of environment-protection regulations, related companies are compelled to use more advanced technologies to transport which can minimize the pollution to a low level, otherwise they may pay a large amount of environmental taxes to recover the environment. Therefore, the advantages of transport will become increasingly obvious.
Through the above analysis, long-distance transport of food can bring benefits to both the supply side and the demand side. Although some pollution may be increased, advanced technology and strict regulations can treat this problem effectively. Accordingly, I am fully convinced that the advantages of this situation outweigh the disadvantages.