Where's my Food: Globalization of Food

When I was young the produce department at the local market in the dead of a Wisconsin winter was a forlorn and empty place. If a shopper wanted vegetables such as corn it was off to the canned vegetable aisle, and in later years the frozen food section. There were oranges and bananas, but those were quite expensive.

That, for better or worse, has all changed. Now I can get tomatoes for my salad in the dead of winter, there are a variety of peppers not grown here, and unique fruits and vegetables from far off lands. I can even get lemon grass at the local market. The variety offered to today's shopper is almost endless no matter what the season.

This is bad news for farmers as protective tariffs and subsidies disappear, great for consumers who want fresh salad in January.

The concept of globalization, as far as food goes is nothing new. During the times of the Roman empire olive oil and delicacies were shipped to the far flung outposts of the empire. Today as shipping methods have improved and become cheaper there are literally no borders as far as food is concerned. This is not all good as there are no controls over how food is grown or handled in other countries. This may have given rise to the Locavore, a person who eats only locally grown food. They have travelled back in time where produce is seasonal. The book "Omnivore's Dilemma" details the ins and outs of local foods vice food that has been shipped in or undergone extensive processing.

What it means to me is that I can have a rhubarb pie anytime I like, and don't have to go searching for specialty markets when I want to cook and Asian dish.