It is true that the variety of foods are delivered over long distances. Some people hold a view that consuming foods produced in the local area brings benefits to the environment and economy. Although there could be certain drawbacks related to this trend, I still argue that the positive aspects are far greater.
On the one hand, eating transported foods from distant regions has a few demerits. Initially, it may cause the loss of jobs for the local labor force. The reason being that, a number of people prefer imported foods to domestic alternatives, which result in less revenue for the local agribusiness, leading to layoffs. For instance, Chinese durians have a competitive price as well as good quality in comparison with durians produced in Vietnam due to better farming and processing technology, so consumers tend to purchase the foreign ones. This indirectly leads to occupation loss for those involved in agriculture at local. The next issue is the global pollution contributed by consuming imported foods. This is simply because foods are often delivered by air, ships or trucks which release a great deal of exhaust fumes, thereby increasing the carbon footprint and affecting the environment.
On the other hand, the consumption of transported foods from far away is not without its benefits. From an economic standpoint, this development helps to balance the supply and demand chains among nations and continents. There is no denying that every country has different kinds of food depending on climatic conditions and geography. This brings about the lack of needed foodstuffs in certain areas. Take rice cultivation as an example, good weather conditions and rich soils allow Vietnam to produce for domestic use as well as for export on a massive scale to the West where staple crops are maize and sorghum. In terms of the environment, imported foods help consumers vary their meals. Instead of only eating locally grown foods, they can also enjoy new dishes from every corner of the world. For example, nowadays, Vietnamese people can easily purchase for foreign grapes which are more aromatic and bigger than the ones produced in Ninh Thuan province.
In conclusion, while I recognize the possible disadvantages of consuming foods shipped from distant areas, I still consider it as a positive development