Recently some foods travel thousands of miles from the farm to the consumer Some people think it would be better for our environment and economy if people only eat locally produced food Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages

Victuals nowadays are being transported over a great distance that may up to thousands of miles from farms before reaching the customers. Therefore, it is widely believed that the exclusive consumption of local cuisines would be more beneficial for the citizens in terms of environment and economy. From my perspective, although this method may contain certain advantages, its disadvantages are much more considerable

On the one hand, there are justifications for supporting consuming only local food. One outstanding environmental reason is the massive reduction in the consumption of fossil fuels. Travelling over a great distance required a colossal amount of energy, which mostly obtained from fossil sources including gasoline. Consequently, when people start preferring locally grown food, the volume of energy sources burnt for the transportation purpose will decrease and, hence, it is remarkably advantageous for the planet. Another benefit which is worth considering is the economic values. Since non-native foods have to undergo various stages to be sold in national or international markets, their expenditure not only leads to an increase in victual expenses but also deterioration of quality. Hence, directly purchasing indigenous foodstuffs from the local producers at reasonable prices enable customers to avoid such unnecessarily pricy costs

On the one hand, one could claim that the drawback of eating only local foods should not be underestimated. Due to geographical and climatic reasons, all types of foods cannot be produced in one particular area. Additionally, there are also several regions that are not suitable for cultivation and other agricultural activities. Therefore, transporting food is the most viable option to cater to the needs of different regions. In the second place, numerous countries, especially developing ones, depend heavily on the exportation of their victuals for economic development. Thus, consuming only local foods, which synonymous with stopping the food exchange between nations, may result in the high unemployment rates of billions of people as well as the bankruptcy of restaurants at the global scale

In conclusion, despite the environmental improvement and the economic values for local people, the negative economic impacts on countries anđ the further impacts on food choices are too detrimental to be outweighed