13.1 Globalisation of the food industry

Question 1

How has globalisation influenced the food industry?

Answer 1

Since the 1970s, greater interconnectedness has increased transnational flows of people, goods, and information – impacted international trade in food, diets, and societies
Greater availability of produce out of season

Question 2

What issues has globalisation caused?

Answer 2

Food miles, inequalities between TNCs and small food producers, obesity, food prices

Question 3

Describe the issue of food miles:

Answer 3

How far food has travelled from producer to consumer
Supermarket food travels 2400km on average before reaching shelves
Apples – 10,000 miles from USA
Brussel Sprouts – 10,000 miles from Australia
Emit GHG

Question 4

Describe the issue of inequality between TNCs and small suppliers:

Answer 4

Shift from traditional, small-scale systems to agribusinesses, TNCs and major food retailers
Linked by global value chains when different stages of production are located across different countries
TNCs control farmers favouring large, capital-intensive growers, marginalising small producers
Foreign Direct Investment by large TNCs has reduced power of national government in Brazil, India, Mexico, and South Africa

Question 5

Describe the issue of obesity:

Answer 5

Shift from cereals and grains to processed foods like meat and dairy eg. Consumption of meat in China has increased six-fold
Increase in TNC fast-food outlets g China has largest number of KFC outlets of any country
Retail outlets for McDonalds employ local people in China
KFC has adapted products to Chinese market
Increased levels of obesity among rising middle classes of EDCs eg Brazil 380% increase in McDonalds in 10 years

Question 6

Describe the issue of food prices:

Answer 6

Global food prices are vulnerable and susceptible to price shocks – unexpected and unpredictable change in prices
Last major international food crisis in 2008 where food prices sparked political unrest in Middle East
In 2015 there was a food price warning on Maize in South Africa

Question 7

What opportunities has globalisation created?

Answer 7

Technological innovation, short-term food relief, consumer choice

Question 8

Describe the opportunity of technological innovation:

Answer 8

Asian green Revolution criticised for pesticides/fertilisers that benefited wealthy farmers but caused debt in rural population – must be careful
GM crops can resist drought, soil salinity, efficiency of fixing nitrogen to limit use of fertiliser, increase yield etc 92% of US corn is genetically engineered
Appropriate technology – small-scale tecnol0gy that can be used in communities with existing skills eg Fertiliser Deep Displacement in Nigeria involves planting fertiliser below soil to slowly release nitrogen and prevent run-off and reduce amount of fertiliser required
Apps such as Vet Africa allow animal health workers to diagnose livestock

Question 9

Describe the opportunity of short-term food relief:

Answer 9

Co-operation of countries enhanced by globalisation
Different donor routes – bilateral aid, multilateral aid, non-government aid
Syria conflict since 2011 (6.5 million people displaced) with WFP supplying canned foods, oil, rice, sugar, wheat, and flour

Question 10

Describe the opportunity of consumer choice:

Answer 10

Increase in global trade = abundance of food products available
Consumer-driven global food industry