Food Transport

Modern food transport guarantees the multitude we have in our supermarkets today. Huge refrigerated ships bring perishable fruits from tropical countries all over the world. I remember how I was baffled when I saw Swedish pork for sale in a supermarket in Seoul, I wondered: "Don't they have pigs in South Korea?"

The camel is one of our most used beasts of burden.

A Brief History

The soonest technique to ship nourishment was obviously by walking, a strategy that is extremely restricted. I big step forward was when pack animals, boats and barges started to come in use, it increased the capacity substantially. The invention of the wheel gave us carts, roads where built to make it faster and better for them. These better transport methods made trade between people grow, pretty soon food and wares were shipped long distances. Better roads, bigger and better ships, and improved preservation methods were fueled by the mechanisms of the economy. This development has continued until today. Some important inventions: The wheel, the steam engine, the combustion engine, railroads, and freezing technology.

Modern Food Transport

Today there are no restrictions for what we can ship and how far. Nourishment is safeguarded and stuffed in productive manners, limiting and improving vehicle. The solidified payload can be shipped via ocean, land or air. 

Our cutting edge society is relying upon enormous amounts of nourishment stuffs to be shipped. There is some not so positive side effect of this.

Environmental Issues

All this transporting of wares takes its toll, pollution and general energy consumption are the main problems. Imagine how much fuel is used just to transport the food you have bought during your lifetime, and that is just you! It is argued that locally produced products are the way forward, minimizing energy consumption. If you went all the way it would mean that we would have a lot fewer alternatives if you live in a country like Sweden it is not easy to grow bananas... And we also had to go back to farming again. But at least replacing imported food with locally produced when possible would be a huge step in the right direction. Another solution would, of course, be a clean energy alternative.

The Free Market

These methods have opened up many new alternatives for the food industry. Fish can be shipped from Norway to China to get packed, only to be shipped back to be sold in Norway! Where there is cheap labor is where it is produced or processed. Bad conditions for workers in poorer countries are also a big issue: Low salaries, no rights, and dangerous working environments is what grants us cheap food in the supermarkets today. Taxation on imported food would be a possible solution, factors like environmental impact could then be taken into account.