IMPACTS OF A BORDERLESS SOCIETY - Essay Example

Historically, most perishable foods were produced and sold locally, as there was no way of efficiently transporting these products across long distances. However, the increase of technology and globalization has meant that food sold in one city is often produced in a different part of the country, or somewhere else in the world entirely (Halweil, 2002). It is now estimated that food travels 1,500 miles on average from when it is produced to when it is consumed. This includes food being produced on one side of the country and sent to the other, or being produced locally, transported to distribution centers a significant distance away and finally transported back to local supermarkets (Prentice et al., 2010). Another estimation considers that food has changed hands at least six times between where it was produced and where it is sold (Kloppenburg Jr.

, Hendrickson, & Stevenson, 1996). For the food components that were part of my meals, the initial stages of these products would have been produced on agricultural or dairy farms. For example, dairy products would have been used in the production of the cheese, milk and yoghurt. From that point, the raw product, such as milk, would be sold perhaps to a manufacturer or to a middleman who would later sell it to a manufacturer. The manufacturer (e.g. Yoplait) makes use of raw ingredients sourced from throughout the country and the world to create their product.

Generally the manufacturer chooses suppliers that can produce a significant quantity, are reliable, and are low in price. The manufacturer may sell their product directly to suppliers, or may pass it on to a distributer. The distributer then sells the product to the store where it is to be sld to individual consumers, such as a supermarket. The number of steps would be smaller for produce and other products that do not require as much processing, however, I did