Test IELTS 13-04-2019

In many countries, people like to eat a wide variety of food that can be grown in other areas. As a result, people eat more food produced in other regions than local food. Do the disadvantages of this trend outweigh its advantages?

There is a trend of moving from consuming local foods to imported ones, partly due to globalization. This should be discouraged as it brings more problems than benefits. 

lt seems paradoxical, but imported foods can be cheaper than local ones, despite import taxes and logistic costs. The main reason is economies of scale: it is often more efficient to sustain a large farm, since the cost of mechanization and using pesticides per farming unit is comparatively lower. Another argument for importing foods Is strict regulation; products from foreign countries must be subjected to the safety standards of local countries. When presented with cheap yet high standard foods, choosing foreign foods over domestic ones seems reasonable to local consumers. 

Having said that, such a trend causes various issues. The first problem is the disconnect between local farmers and consumers. If customers refuse local foods, there will be much less relationship between them and the local farmers, reducing community interaction. Furthermore, less demand for local foods means fewer jobs for local farmers, which not only increases unemployment rate for rural communities but also poses later problems for urban ones. A drastic reduction in local food supply renders domestic consumption vulnerable against a global food shortage, and thus being prone to food insecurity. When the social distances between urban and rural communities get widened, farmers struggle to make ends meet, and there is a possibility of food scarcity, social unrest would happen. 

In conclusion, while imported foods provide us with some benefits, their negative consequences are dangerous and must not be overlooked. (259 words)

Souce: @Mrs Trang Ielts