Food Trading

From the beginning, food trading was quite limited, due to the perishable nature of most foods. Spices were an early commodity, grains, and rice as well.

Spices were brought from the Far East to Europe in Caravans.

Transport & Preservation

I have mentioned this in other sections, but we have to come back to transport and preservation. It has been the gradual development of cheaper and faster transport methods together with methods for preserving and packing that has led to what we have today. A multinational trade that has made the speculation in food possible. Today you can own maize fields in Africa, then ship it to China where it is refined, and then sell it in Europe. Production is where it is cheapest and it is sold to the highest bidder, the profits are huge.

Environment & Morality

The morality of this type of trade has been questioned quite a lot. Is it really ok to eat food that is produced where workers have hardly no rights? Where pesticides and herbicides are used that are forbidden by international standards? It seems like high moral standards many times are just empty words.

The Way Forward?

There is a lack of control methods for international trade, in some way it has to be monitored and taxed. Consumer attitudes have changed most in recent years, politicians have been forced to respect these matters in order to get votes. That might be the best way forward.

In my view proper labeling is a good way, it has to be controlled by neutral entities. Not by the sellers, but by the buyers, like is the case many times today.