Global food system Essay Example

for US surpluses and facilitate industrialization in European countries by using capital goods to boost manufacturing sectors and agricultural production through additional fertilizers and scientific methods.

In the cold war era, there was a notable migration of workers from agricultural to industrial sectors, resulting in an 'agricultural revolution'. This revolution involved the adoption of machinery to mechanize vast areas of land and replace labor-intensive farming techniques. Simultaneously, governments prioritized restructuring their manufacturing industries while private companies concentrated on food production. As a result, these companies achieved economies of scale and transformed into efficient and large-scale firms by the 1980s.

In the 90s, power shifted from multinational producers to localized supermarket chains in industrialized countries. In the 21st century, these retailers now dominate the industry with huge outlets in major cities across developed nations and even expanding globally to enhance their profitability and control over the food supply chain.

Rosalind Sharpe (2004) states that the global food system is governed by only 110 retailers who dictate the available products for purchase. In the UK, four major companies (Tesco, Sainsbury, Safeway, and Asda) manage 60-70% of all food distribution (sovereignity.org). An important issue related to the global food system is its influence on consumer health.

The unhealthy diet adopted by developed nations has led to various health issues. These include obesity, fatal diseases like Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) contracted from infected meat products, as well as long-term effects such as heart disease and diabetes. Moreover, the lack of physical activity among people in northern countries exacerbates these problems.

According to the World Health Organisation, Europe's inadequate nutrition, low physical activity, and obesity account for 9% of years of healthy life lost, which is

equivalent to the impact caused by smoking. In essence, both poor eating and exercise habits as well as smoking contribute to a decrease in life expectancy. Interestingly, while these two factors have similar negative consequences on health, unhealthy eating habits receive less criticism compared to smoking. A study suggests that if people in Britain were to enhance their diet quality, reduce obesity rates, smoke less frequently and engage in more physical activity; the National Health Service could potentially save ?30 billion by 2022 (Wanless, 2002).

Reports indicate that obesity has significant financial implications for governments and the public in various countries, including the USA, UK, and Australia. According to CNN.com, the costs of obesity in the USA alone are estimated at around US$75 billion. In the UK, the National Audit Office (2001) approximated costs to be approximately ?2 billion. Additionally, Caterson (2004) reported expenses of Aus$290 million in Australia. The increase in obesity is primarily attributed to a shift in food consumption patterns towards fatty foods, which can be linked to recent lifestyle changes. Furthermore, another major concern within today's global food system is genetically modified (GM) foods.

Despite being rejected by consumers, European politicians have embraced genetically modified (GM) produce. The European Commission recently made legislative changes that lifted a five-year ban on importing new GM produce. Although Europe has not fully integrated GM produce into its food cycle like Canada and the US, these changes may lead to a gradual adoption in Europe. Unfortunately, this decision could worsen the existing challenges in the global food system.

There is a widespread belief that genetically modified (GM) foods have detrimental long-term impacts on different aspects including health, environment,

global food security, and agricultural development in developing nations. While malnutrition is often associated with the global south, it also affects developed countries. Nonetheless, the challenges faced by underprivileged children and families in urban areas of developed nations when it comes to accessing nutritious food options have been overlooked. The depiction of malnourished children in Africa, Asia, and Latin American countries has become strongly linked with the issue of malnutrition.

Despite the presence of a variety of food choices, including fresh produce and meats, malnutrition continues to be prevalent in supermarkets located in developed countries.

According to Wheelan (2002), approximately 11% of individuals in the United States experience the difficulty of insufficient nutritious food as a result of living below the poverty line. In some instances, these people may not even have enough food, let alone meals that are healthy. Dowler (2003) asserts that despite supermarkets offering a variety of food choices, they mainly serve customers who own cars and possess financial resources.

The poorer population is being neglected, with corner shops unable to compete with larger retailers. As a result, these shops rely on survival tactics of offering fast, but unhealthy, food options and processed foods. These "durable foods" are lacking in nutrition and contribute to worsening health. Additionally, modern food consumption habits have led to an increase in diseases like diabetes, coronary diseases, arthritis, and dental decay.

Switching from processed high fructose corn syrup to cane sugar in the production of long-lasting foods has significantly harmed consumers' health. Instead of being directly consumed, these substitutes are integrated into the manufacturing process to increase perceived value, as defined by profit-driven executives in the food processing industry. Nevertheless, these

processes hardly enhance the quality of the food products that pass through their production lines.

Refined sugar is more harmful than in its natural state as it lacks minerals necessary for digestion. Upon ingestion, the body begins to draw minerals, including calcium, from other areas to digest the sugar. This depletion of minerals affects various organs in the body. The liver initially stores excess sugar as glucose (glycogen).

Consuming too much refined sugar can lead to liver enlargement due to its limited capacity to process such intake. The excess glycogen is converted into fatty acids and released into the bloodstream, where they are stored in less active parts of the body like the abdomen, buttocks, breasts, and thighs, causing weight gain. Eventually, when these relatively harmless areas become saturated with fatty acids, they are then distributed to vital organs including the pancreas, heart, and kidneys.

As the organisms' tissues deteriorate, they become increasingly less active and eventually accumulate fat. This can lead to health problems such as heart failure and diabetes. A comprehensive assessment of the worldwide food system should take into account fair trade, a contentious subject that divides anti-globalization demonstrators and proponents of the current state. Envision an extraordinary invention: a contraption capable of converting corn into stereo equipment.

International trade is a remarkable innovation that operates at peak performance. It has the ability to convert fifty bushels of corn into a cd player and transform windows software into top-notch French wines. Moreover, it can be utilized anywhere globally and programmed to turn locally produced goods into rare commodities (Wheelan, 2002). The benefits of international trade are widely recognized by anthropologists and economists as it has the

potential to improve the welfare of all parties involved.

In developed countries, the bond between retailers and farmers/small producers in developing countries has worsened because of both tariff and non-tariff barriers. Although multilateral agreements have eliminated tariff barriers, less noticeable non-tariff barriers have appeared.

According to Friedmann (2002), the available choices were not limited to 'regulation' or 'free trade', but included various forms of regulation, explicit or implicit. Some regulations included import quotas and antidumping laws, which imposed restrictions on imports from developing countries to industrialized nations. Additionally, industrialized nations provided subsidies to their producers, even if it was not economically viable for them. The goal of free trade was to address most of the inequalities between developed and developing countries, with the exception of uncontrollable factors like climate.

Despite the US's public advocacy for fair trade, it has actually implemented a protectionist policy when it comes to food. Harriet Friedmann highlights in her article on the food regime that although the GATT aimed to eliminate trade barriers globally, it specifically excluded agriculture and food from its prohibition on import controls and export subsidies due to pressure from the US (Friedmann, 2002).

The rules governing the food regime after World War II focused on national regulation. These rules allowed for import controls and export subsidies to support national food programs (Friedmann, 2002). The barriers to trade created by these rules enable agriculture to occur in regions where it is not efficient, resulting in detrimental impacts on countries in the south where it should occur. One significant consequence is the replacement of their own agricultural products with imported goods.

Increased protection of the agricultural industry in the north leads to increased

production and resulting surpluses. Initially, in the post-war years, the US government employed mercantile practices to purchase the excess produce. This was done to maintain higher prices for agricultural goods, benefiting farmers but disadvantaging the developing world, which would have otherwise exported these goods to the developed world and earned foreign exchange (Friedmann, 2002).

Developing countries, on the other hand, have struggled to find equally efficient barriers to counter those present in developed nations. Their reliance on financial assistance has left them vulnerable, leading to the implementation of SAPs4 for their survival. However, the costs of trade barriers are not solely borne by southern countries. Consumers in developed nations also experience these repercussions, as exemplified by the case of Brazilian oranges.

While most American tariffs are below 10 percent, the tariffs on juice from Brazil can be as high as 63 percent. This adds approximately 30 cents to the price of a gallon of juice in American supermarkets (DePalma, 2000). The purpose of imposing this hidden tax is to protect the farmers in Florida from those in Mateo, where nearly perfect oranges are grown. When we consider that Americans consume 68 million glasses of juice daily, the significant cost to consumers becomes evident.

Protectionism and trade barriers not only impose taxes on consumers but also lead to a decrease in the quality of products available in supermarkets. When the food industry is protected from competition through measures like tariffs, complacency regarding product quality arises. Consequently, consumers are left with lower quality goods because there are no higher quality alternatives available at an affordable price like the protected goods.

In addition, the global food system faces criticism for unfavorable terms

of trade. Developing countries in the South have suffered from deteriorating trade conditions since the 1920s. These countries mainly produce primary agricultural goods, which have experienced a significant decline in real prices. Between 1985 and 1992 alone, prices in this sector dropped by up to 30%, and projections suggest further decline (Coote, 1992).

The decrease in prices is caused by the excess production capacity in these countries. Developing countries rely on climatic conditions for agricultural production, resulting in the production of similar goods. Consequently, there is an oversupply of perishable primary food items that cannot be easily sold in the global market at profitable rates or stored for later use. This drives down the prices that these countries receive for their produce. In an attempt to earn some profit, more goods are produced, further lowering prices and perpetuating the cycle.

The substitutability of these foods has worsened the issue, leading to the replacement of industries that export vegetable oils from tropical countries with soybean oil, which is a by-product of soymeal for animal feed. The United States can produce this soybean oil. Consequently, primary producers are left with surplus agricultural products that cannot be sold in the market. The unfavorable terms of trade faced by developing countries are highlighted by the significant mark-up on final goods compared to the cost of primary goods (Friedmann, 2002).

Kabula Mboje, a Tanzanian farmer, spends 800 shillings (?4.50) on a kanga6, which is nearly equivalent to her earnings from harvesting on her 2-acre plot. However, her cotton production from this plot is sufficient to make 720 kangas (Coote, 1992). This indicates that for every ?720 received by the final retailer from

selling the end products, the primary producer receives only ?1. This proportionate mark-up is prevalent in the majority of the global agro-food industry, with primary producers receiving a minimal percentage of the ultimate value paid by consumers for the goods that they have contributed to producing.

Developing countries have acknowledged the existence of a trade disadvantage and have taken steps to address it. However, this has presented numerous intricate challenges. In order to improve their economic situation, developing countries have endeavored to introduce mechanization and food processing industries, which would enhance their trade profits. Nevertheless, pursuing these initiatives requires investment in the appropriate technology and training.

The countries' deficits in their balance of payments are caused by declining prices and unfavorable terms of trade. This leads to the need for external borrowing and aid to finance investments. However, high interest rates exacerbate the resulting debt-service obligations, which consume a significant portion of the poor countries' export earnings. Additionally, countries that successfully establish a food processing industry encounter challenges in the market due to tariff structures in the North that favor unprocessed commodities over processed ones.

Refined sugar faces a tariff of over 20% when exported to industrialized countries, while raw sugar attracts a tariff of about 1%. These barriers, along with unfavorable trading conditions and restrictions, prevent mechanization and hinder food production in developing countries compared to the food processing industries in the north.

Food insecurity is a major issue impacting the global food system, with both the quality and quantity of food security declining worldwide. The definition of food security now encompasses not only having access to enough nutritious food for everyone but also ensuring availability in any

location without dependence on external markets or distant distributors (Gronski, 2004). This expanded definition emphasizes that there is currently a higher level of food insecurity in the world than ever before.

Food security is a challenge for approximately 30 million Americans, as they lack access to sufficient nutrients (Cook and Brown 1992). In today's interconnected world, countries depend on each other for basic food supplies and prioritize their individual comparative advantages. The United States recognized the importance of food security during the Cold War when instability arose from shortages and surpluses caused by the former Soviet Union's purchase of American wheat (Friedmann, 2002).

Despite two decades passing, the developed world and Japan have not learned from previous lessons. Japan heavily depends on food imports (approximately 70%) and lacks self-sufficiency in its own food resources. Consequently, if a scenario arises where Japanese electronics and cars cannot be exchanged for a few thousand bags of maize from other regions, the consequences would be catastrophic. Moreover, the worsening global food security is additionally affected by the increasing prevalence of food scares.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the UK faced multiple food safety crises that impacted its food supply. These crises encompassed concerns like pest residues, salmonella in eggs, BSE (mad cow disease), and E. coli 0157 (Lang et al., 2003). The root cause of these crises was a shift in food production methods and specifically changes made to the rendering process. Unlike previous practices, animals were no longer subjected to high temperatures and solvents capable of eliminating the micro-organism responsible for BSE.

According to research, the SARS outbreak was caused by food contamination related to the feeding, processing, and slaughter of animals,

as well as other elements in the surrounding environment (Lucas, 2003). Despite containing these crises at significant costs, further changes in food production methods could result in a more difficult-to-control crisis. The situation is particularly dire for countries in the global south.

During the colonial period, countries in the south were forced by their colonizers to abandon subsistence farming and prioritize cash crops. This change was motivated by the need for exports to the North, where these crops were utilized as raw materials for industrialization. Consequently, in the post-colonial era, these nations are left with large plantations solely dedicated to cash crops that either have been substituted by alternatives in the North or confront declining prices globally, rendering them essentially valueless.

Exporting commodities like these distorts the agricultural economy of a developing country, pushing small farmers to grow cash crops for export instead of local food crops. These cash crops have replaced the variety of crops that used to provide nutrition, reducing malnutrition and hunger among the population in developing countries. The scarcity of essential food items leads to the dependence on food aid, which brings its own challenges.

The Southern countries are experiencing a deteriorating situation as they depend on food assistance rather than their own domestically produced food. These nations have witnessed a decline in worldwide prices for their agricultural goods and an uptick in costs associated with fertilizers and farm equipment. Consequently, their ability to generate sufficient food to sustain their population has declined. Considering the high rates of population growth and limited resource access, it seems that reliance on aid will endure for a significant duration.

In the North, countries are content with the present

circumstances as it enables them to dispose of surplus agricultural products that would otherwise oversaturate the global market and drive down prices. However, the current food system has adversely affected the environment. With the advancement of globalization, people worldwide can now access food from various regions, but this convenience comes at a significant environmental expense in terms of food miles.

The Food Commission's supermarket survey reveals that bottled water is transported over 10,000 miles (16,000km) from places like Fiji to reach consumers in the UK. Similarly, South African carrots demand 66 calories of fossil fuels for every calorie consumed (sustain.org, 2002). A typical Sunday dinner covers a total distance of 49,000 miles and releases 37kg of carbon dioxide before it is served (Mitchell, 2002). Therefore, the supply chain of the global food system is regarded as an extreme illustration of worldwide fossil fuel consumption.

The global food system has a detrimental impact on the environment for several reasons. Firstly, the use of non-renewable fuels and the traffic congestion caused by trucks on highways contribute to this negative effect. Additionally, these vehicles emit noise and carbon monoxide, further harming the environment. Furthermore, there are other adverse effects associated with transporting goods from agricultural production to consumption that exacerbate the environmental damage. Moreover, harmful practices have been adopted in order to meet demands from corporate actors in the supply chain and increase productivity on farms, leading to additional degradation of the environment.

The environment has been negatively impacted by the excessive use of fertilizer in agriculture, despite its undeniable role in increasing productivity. Farmers' overuse of fertilizers has resulted in a decrease in soil fertility and an elevation in acidity

levels, contributing to detrimental effects. Moreover, the run-off from rainwater carries these fertilizers into the water cycle, leading to toxicity among marine life and contaminating water sources for both livestock and consumers.

Pesticides, when sprayed on plants, can harm both pests and consumers. This is because animals that consume contaminated vegetation also consume these chemicals. The ban of certain pesticides like DDT in the 1970s was prompted by the recognition of their harmful impacts. The purpose of this ban was to prevent hazardous pesticides from entering consumer food chains.

Insufficient regulations on farm practices in developing countries enable the utilization of harmful chemical substances in agriculture, which can subsequently infiltrate the food chain and endanger consumers in developed nations. To tackle this problem, there has been a movement towards organic produce as it aids in reducing the presence of chemical substances within the food chain. Regrettably, supermarkets have exploited this trend to profit from consumer demand for safer food.

The high price supermarkets charge for organically produced foods creates inaccessibility for many individuals who could benefit from environmentally friendly methods. This further widens the income gap between producers and supermarket retailers, who profit from selling healthier foods at a premium. Additionally, the current global food system negatively impacts consumer cultures.

Globalisation has had a notable effect on the food system in developing nations. In the past, there was a key emphasis on familial and communal methods of producing and consuming food. Nevertheless, with the rise of globalised food supply chains and the transition to cash-crop agriculture, this conventional framework has been disturbed. Consequently, agricultural productivity has declined, necessitating supplementary income sources.

According to bryceson, populations had to relocate from their

agricultural communities to urban centers in order to find additional sources of income. This resulted in fragmented families and a loss of cultural diversity among unemployed urban workers. These workers developed a sense of affiliation, identity, and loyalty that contradicted traditional notions of citizenship and national allegiance, as noted by striffler (2002). In addition to these social changes, urbanization brought about various negative consequences typically associated with developing nations, including increased congestion, pollution, higher crime rates, and drug abuse.

The global food system has had detrimental effects on local food culture and cuisine. This is evident in the presence of McDonalds in remote locations, symbolized by their famous golden arches. McDonalds specifically focuses on attracting middle-income residents in cities, directly competing with established local food retailers. As a result, these local businesses are forced to either adapt their menus to mimic those of McDonalds and other multinational fast food chains or face closure, ultimately eradicating the unique local food culture.

The availability of microwaveable and fast foods in the northern region has decreased the importance of the traditional evening meal as a means to bring families together. The convenience of easily obtaining food has led consumers to no longer feel obliged to gather with their family members at the end of the day and share a meal, an activity that historically fostered social connections.

The transportation of food from different parts of the world to satisfy the growing demand and premium prices in the global food industry offers consumers in the Northern regions a wide range of options for personalized diets that fit their lifestyles. Nevertheless, there are consequences associated with these advantages. These consequences encompass adverse effects

on consumer well-being, contributing to heightened poverty levels in southern areas, diminishing food security, environmental deterioration, and disruptions to cultural norms.

Attempts have been made in different fields to combat the adverse trend by producing organic food, advocating fair trade, and implementing environmental protection legislation. However, despite these endeavors, the advancement in reversing the effects on the worldwide food system has been slow due to resistance from individuals who profit from the existing system and desire to maintain their edge.