Today, some food travels thousands of miles from farms to consumers. Some people think that it would be better to our environment and economy if people only eat locally produced food. To what extent do the disadvantages outweigh the advantages?
排斥外来食品，弊大于利
Nowadays, food is sometimes transported long distances before finally reaching consumers. While some people appreciate the variety and choices that this brings, others think it would be more beneficial to only patronize food produced locally. In my opinion, excluding food from other areas is not a wise idea as it would hurt more than help.
There are many advantages to eating locally produced foods. When people do so, they support local farmers and food producers, helping ensure they earn a sufficient living.
Also, food that is produced and then consumed locally is often of higher quality than food that is imported from other areas, as it is fresher.
Moreover, because of the closer proximity to consumers, there will be lower gas emissions since delivery trucks travel shorter distances.
Nevertheless, not all foods can be produced locally. Factors such as climate, growing seasons, and soil content may prohibit certain produce from being grown locally. For example, vitamin-rich tropical fruits like pineapples and bananas will not grow in colder climates.
Furthermore, food producers want to earn as much as they can. However, restricting consumption to only locally produced food would reduce the earning potential of farmers and lead to a lot of wastage because of oversupply.
To conclude, there is no doubt that we should buy and consume local foods whenever available, but we should also realize that some of the foods we enjoy cannot be produced locally, and restricting fair trade just hurts the farmers. Thus, consuming foods from other areas makes the most sense.