Many foods are shipped from far away. Some people think that eating local food is more environmentally and economically beneficial. Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

Sample 1:

Stop eating foreign food is not really beneficial for the customers. Food imports are a natural part of the global trade and globalisation, creating a free market with competition in food’s quality and price between global producers. Therefore, customers might not take advantage of eating imported food which is sometimes cheaper and better than the local grown ones because of the better farming and processing technology.

However, eating local produced food keeps local farms healthy. Farmers in some countries can make money by simply delivering and selling their food products at local market rather than at markets far away. It also creates more jobs for local people in processing sector and logistics and boosts the local economy.

In terms of ecological benefits, eating domestic food rather than imported alternatives is a practice that individuals should adopt to protect the environment. In some countries, imported food can damage the local environment, so various imported foods are prohibited. This is because they can harbour diseases from foreign foods, causing harm to the local native flora and fauna.  Moreover, using more local produce reduces food miles and reduce our carbon footprint. This is because foreign foods are often transported by air or ship and refrigerated to keep them fresh during the transporting process, thereby increasing global pollution from exhaust fumes.

In conclusion, despite the drawback for individuals, I think that the idea of eating local products should be encouraged as its economic and environmental benefits.

Sample 2:

Many individuals argue that consuming locally produced food is more beneficial for both the environment and the economy. To some extent, I concur with this perspective for several compelling reasons.

In terms of ecological benefits, eating domestic food rather than imported alternatives is a practice that individuals should adopt to protect the environment. In some countries, imported food can damage the local environment, so various imported foods are prohibited. This is because they can harbour diseases from foreign foods, causing harm to the local native flora and fauna.  Moreover, using more local produce reduces food miles and reduce our carbon footprint. This is because foreign foods are often transported by air or ship and refrigerated to keep them fresh during the transporting process, thereby increasing global pollution from exhaust fumes.

The economic advantage of eating local produced food is obvious as it might keep local farms healthy and boost the local economy. However, stop eating foreign food brings not only economic benefits. Food imports are a natural part of the global trade and globalisation, creating a free market with competition in food’s quality and price between global producers. Therefore, customers can no longer take advantage of eating imported food which is often cheaper and better than the local grown ones because of the better farming and processing technology.

In conclusion, the important role of banning imported food in environmental protection on a local and global scale is undeniable. From an economic standpoint, I do not think that the advantages of eating local food only are stronger.

Sample 3:

The shipping of a range of foods from other cities or countries may have an adverse impact on locally produced food in this modern world of aggressive competition. However, the latter, in my own eyes, obviously offers more merits demerits.

On the face of it, the consumption local food might be said to have certain drawbacks. One of them is the lack of diversity or exotic. Without access to strange food from far away, people in Vietnam today, for instance, feel fed up with a limited number of food choices or would never have a chance to try, and probably enjoy, the taste of a similar type of food which is actually imported from other countries, such as Kobe beef from Japan.

However, compared with food transported from region, eating food produced locally is significantly more beneficial in economic, environmental, and educational terms. From an economic point of view, local food does not involve transportation leading to higher and higher costs, especially with increasing fuel prices taken into account.

This is also associated with less damaging on the environment related to the shipping of food products by plane from abroad. In terms, consuming local food helps nurture patriotism among young generations, orienting them towards preserving and developing the sense of using indigenous products.

In today’s world of globalization, the effort to consume food is thus playing an indispensable role in maintaining the identity of each and every local culture.

In a word, the downside of eating locally produced food is outweighed by upside. This is, in actual fact, true from economic, environmental, & educational viewpoints.

Sample 4:

Although a variety of foods are now being produced and distributed across regions, according to many people, it would be beneficial to the environment and the economy if food is consumed where it is grown. However, considering multiple aspects altogether, I believe that the disadvantages of this opinion outweigh its advantages.

On the one hand, the fact that people consume locally produced food can bring about certain environmental benefits. First, there would be a lower demand for the delivery of food from region to region, followed by the decreased number of vehicles that travel great distances. Therefore, exhaust fumes released into the atmosphere can also be reduced, thanks to which many environmental issues, including air pollution problems, could be ameliorated. Second, the world’s natural resources can also benefit since the long-distance transportation of food burns a large amount of fossil fuel, either by sea or by air. In other words, with less imported food being eaten, the depletion of non-renewable resources which take many million years to recover would be slowed down.

On the other hand, it would be the national economy that suffers if people in society actually choose foods manufactured regionally instead of ones shipped from other areas. First, enterprises that import and export food would find it difficult to boost sales, let alone expand their business. This will not only lead to a stagnation, but also a drop, in their tax payments in case their profit decreases. Second, employees working in these companies would also find it difficult to enjoy a bright career prospect. Because their customers are in favor of regionally-grown foods, it is hard for their enterprises to thrive, so their annual wages can hardly see any raises and neither can economic contributions they make to the national budget.

In conclusion, despite being eco-friendly, the opinion of consuming local food can have damaging effects on the financial health of not only individuals in society but also the government.

Sample 5:

The debate surrounding whether or not countries should import food from abroad has become increasingly prevalent, with some arguing that the trend should be kept in order to ensure the best food conditions and a healthy environment, while others believe that it would be much more economically and environmentally beneficial to consume home grown food. Personally, I agree more with the first sentiment, as there are far too many disadvantages to stopping food imports.

Firstly, not all food can be grown in the same country and need to come from very specific environments, and growing food within a country’s borders alone can lead to less variety. Soil conditions as well as climate and weather patterns make many of our favorite foods unable to be produced in our countries without expensive equipment to artificially imitate weather conditions where these crops are normally grown. Importing food on the other hand, helps to ensure a more varied supply of fresh local food that was grown in the environment that best suited it. An example we can observe today is the array of food products that can be seen in countries that are involved into the world trade network, for they are able to import foods from overseas.

Secondly, growing our own crops may not actually be that environmentally friendly, for if demand for local crops were to increase substantially, we may be forced to fix irrigation issues and take water from natural reservoirs and nearby lakes, diverting them to our fields. The end result could call for dam projects on a massive scale that would irrevocably change ecosystems and migration patterns. Large areas of wildlife must be cleared out, for example, in order to sustain large scale chicken or cow farms. Leaving this job for areas that are more suited to agricultural production can be seen as much more efficient and environmentally friendly.

Overall, I argue that growing food locally is doubtful to be economically or environmentally beneficial, and thus should not be implemented.