Food Globalization and Its Impact, Free Essay Sample

In the past two decades, food globalization has been characterized by a significant increase in the rate at which people have endorsed foreign cuisines. For instance, in Europe people are consuming Indian curry while South Americans are enjoying Japanese sushi. Furthermore, the expansion of American fast food restaurants such as KFC, McDonald's, and Chicken Inn clearly exemplify the food globalization rate. The steady growth of American fast food outlets across the globe is an iconic symbol of food globalization. However, food globalization is a contentious issue due to the positive and negative impacts it has on the society. Even though food globalization has promoted the consumption of processed foods that have been linked to an increase in chronic diseases, it has facilitated trade agreements, foreign investment, and food security in most nations.

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Food globalization has led to an improvement in food security in most developing nations. Technological advancement has empowered most farmers to increase their agricultural yields. The production of high quality fertilizers has led to an increase in unproductive land parcels being transformed into arable land to boost the crop production. For example, the greenhouse technology has empowered the farmers to grow horticultural crops that are usually grown in the tropical and Meditteranean regions. Additionally, technological advancement has enabled the Israelite farmers to dominate in horticultural farming despite most of their land being located in unfavorably dry regions. The conversion of arid and semi-arid land into arable farms has led to an increase in surplus food production that has assisted in eradicating famine especially among the developing countries (Anderson, 2010). Therefore, food globalization has played a crucial role in improving food security among various nations through boosting their surplus food production.

Globalization has promoted foreign investment in the food production sector. Such foreign investment often generates revenues and creates employment opportunities within the society. For example, the rapid expansion of American fast food companies such as KFC and McDonalds in various countries in the world illustrates the food globalization progress. The multinational restaurants tend to offer similar menu items although some of the items have been customized to suit their local consumers, for instance, the Japanese green-tea milkshake flavor. The diverse menu items associated with such restaurants have attracted numerous customers creating employment opportunities. Besides, the American fast-food restaurants have generated revenues that support the gross domestic product in the respective nations where the multinational food chains are located (Huneault, 2012). For that reason, food globalization has played a fundamental role in facilitating foreign investment that creates employment opportunities and generates revenues in most nations.

The 21st century has been characterized by a decrease in transactional costs in the food production industry. Additionally, technological innovations and minimal trade barriers have led to a significant decrease in the transaction expenditures associated with the exportation and importation of food products (Brunelle, Dumas & Souty, 2014). The Free Trade Agreements endorsed by various nations lays the foundation for future trade developments. Hence, the anticipation that the adoption of standard trade policies will assist in reducing the transactional expenses while alleviating the poverty levels in the developing countries.

Conversely, food globalization has influenced the change in preference on the kind of foodstuffs being consumed by society. Globalization has led to an increase in fast food advertisements on social media platforms and television channels. Such advertisements have influenced society to prefer junk food over traditional cuisines. As a result, the consumption of processed foods has risen continuously in the past three decades compared to the people consuming vegetables, fruits, and grains from farms or grocery stores. The increased fast food consumption has led to a rise in the prevalence of chronic lifestyle diseases (Huneault, 2012). Nowadays the prevalence of youths suffering from diabetes, heart diseases, and obesity has increased due to the high consumption of processed food. Therefore, an increase in fast food advertisements has led to youths preferring fast-food over traditional foods leading to the prevalence of chronic lifestyle diseases in society.

Globalization in food production has facilitated the advancement of climate change impacts. Technological advancement in the agricultural sector aims at improving the agricultural yields through transforming arid land into productive farms. Consequently, the green-house technology is one of the integral approaches being used by scientists to convert the arid and semi-arid lands into arable lands. According to Anderson, 2010, approximately 70% of the horticultural products from the developing nations are grown in the greenhouses. The greenhouses produce gases such as methane and chlorofluorocarbons that promote global warming. As a result, the greenhouses constructed by most farmers in developing nations to boost their agricultural yields are contributing to the adverse climate change impacts.

Food globalization has led to a reduction in famine incidences among the developing nations. Technological advancement has enabled farmers to have access to high quality fertilizers that have increased their agricultural yields. Additionally, food globalization has led to the production of horticultural products in nations with unfavorable weather conditions through the greenhouse technology. It has empowered farmers to grow food crops such as apples and grapes that are usually grown within the tropical regions in the world. Food globalization has led to low transaction costs that encourage investors to establish multinational companies that have created employment opportunities. Therefore, food globalization has improved the gross domestic product in several countries due to the adoption of favorable trade agreements and improved food security.

References

Anderson, K. (2010). Globalization's effects on world agricultural trade, 1960-2050. Philosophical Transactions Of The Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 365(1554), 3007-3021. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2010.0131

Brunelle, T., Dumas, P., & Souty, F. (2014). The Impact of Globalization on Food and Agriculture: The Case of the Diet Convergence. The Journal Of Environment & Development, 23(1), 41-65. doi: 10.1177/1070496513516467

Huneault, L. (2012). Globalization of food production and implications for nutrition. CAB Reviews: Perspectives In Agriculture, Veterinary Science, Nutrition And Natural Resources, 7(049). doi: 10.1079/pavsnnr20127049